


Iron Bound

by xMyrrhx



Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Do Not Podfic, Do Not Translate, Do not post to another site, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, M/M, Magic, Mention of past relationships, Warnings May Change, past James/Madeleine, past James/Tracy, past James/Vesper
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-02-19 06:29:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 34
Words: 37,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22139944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xMyrrhx/pseuds/xMyrrhx
Summary: The Kingdom of the Wilbraham Royal Family certainly seemed to be the perfect, picturesque kingdom of fairy tales.For one Prince Quinn Wilbraham, it was anything but. Trapped in the walls of his own home, perhaps the unexpected chance for freedom lies in an arranged marriage to one King James Bond.Or will the dark secret of the Wilbraham family mean that the Prince is simply going from one prison to another?**This story is currently on indefinite hiatus**
Relationships: James Bond/Q
Comments: 96
Kudos: 242





	1. Prologue

The Wilbraham Palace was a sight to behold. Gleaming white stones set in careful formation, towers reaching for the heavens and banners flying proudly from the peaks. The courtyard was always bustling and the city that had grown out around the palace walls – the proud capital of the nation – was filled with happy people. The city itself was well-maintained and there was little fear of crime or danger.

The King and Queen were well loved – they always did their best for the people, and as such the capital city was not the only gem in the nation. The Royals were wise and diplomatic – preferring to keep wars away with treaties and beneficial discussions. The nation was seen as a neutral territory – though it still did keep a well-stocked army just in case – and it rarely felt the burdens of disease or famine.

Everything was picture perfect and whenever a dignitary from a neighbor visited, or in the case of the recent wedding of the eldest Prince, a whole delegation and royal family, they always commented on how blessed the Wilbraham family was to have such a peaceful and happy nation.

The thing about the picture-perfect Wilbraham family was that they had a rather dark secret. It was something that the castle kept closely, not wanting to ruin the seemingly wonderful portrait they painted for all who were unaware. Everyone from the King and Queen down to the lowest servant were sworn into utmost secrecy.

When there were no visitors, the castle had a different air about it. There was an underlying tension and while things seemed to be running as normal, things were far from ordinary.

Up high in one of the towers was a bedroom. To get to it, one had to climb up a long flight of winding stone stairs and positioned along the way, in alcoves were guards – clearly there to keep watch over something. This was unusual as no other bedroom was in a tower, nor was any other in the palace so heavily guarded. Doors along the winding staircases interior marked other rooms along the path to the top.

The room was rich as one would expect but the windows did not open and there were oddities that would make one rather uneasy.

Iron chains, heavy and cumbersome, were attached with thick bolted rings to the walls and floor. They were specially crafted to certain lengths, enabling one to move around the room to a certain extent.

Whoever it was that resided in this room, knew no freedom and was closely watched not only by the guards outside, but by guards inside as well. The resident of the room was perhaps seen as something dangerous to the throne and of need of watching.

In fact, the entire tower belonged to this one individual. Below their room was a study which housed yet more chains but was otherwise a normal study. Below this was a small reading room where books were regularly rotated from it to the larger castle library, to keep the occupant of the tower occupied.

The second to last floor was were the attendants had their shared bedroom, for when they weren’t minding the tower occupant.

The bottom floor was split between a small storage space and a bathroom that from all appearances was luxurious. Certainly it was one befitting someone of high rank and prestige. It even had the luxury of hot water brought in with pipes, something that wasn’t yet standard everywhere in the kingdom.

Aside from the times when their presence was required, this was the home of the tower resident.

Prince Quinn Alexander Wilbraham, second child of the King and Queen called the tower his home. When he wasn’t bound in iron chains there were iron bands fastened about his ankles, hidden beneath flowing robes and pants as he was escorted to other places in the palace when the time called for it.

The Prince was the dark secret of the Wilbraham family. While born into a family of luxury and power, everything for the Prince had changed during his fifth year of life in the world.

For the Prince had been born with a gift for the magical arts, something that the logic-minded members of the Wilbraham Royal Family found to be too mysterious to be deemed safe. The gift had materialized itself when he was five years old, much to the dismay, disgust and disbelief of his family. The fact that Prince Quinn possessed the gift had changed everything.

For a child who had known the same freedoms as his older brother and who had quite a brilliant mind of his own, suddenly finding the very family who had once loved him shun and hide him away had brought about ice in his own heart.

Prince Quinn was iron-bound and it was only in books and in his studies that he could find any means of escape.


	2. Chapter 1

It was something of a tradition, that royalty would wed other royalty through arranged marriages that were more for the benefit of the kingdoms than the actual royals themselves.

This meant of course, that despite the clear dislike his family had for him, Prince Quinn was going to be matched up with someone, despite the secret being harbored and hidden by his family.

This of course, meant that the young Prince had no say at all in who he would be marrying – but then again, one didn’t have much of a say in these things unless one was a royal looking for a match for themselves.

Prince Quinn had to wonder what sort of person he was going to be matched up with. Certainly his parents had their work cut out for them – would they find someone tolerant of magic or would he just be shuffled off to another prison?

It was slightly funny and a little depressing when they told him they were looking for a husband for him – clearly they didn’t want to risk him procreating and making more children with magical abilities. It didn’t matter to them what gender he preferred; they were going to do whatever it took to preserve their own reputations in regards to having a son who could do magic.

This probably meant they were looking and were hopeful of finding someone who would keep him locked away as if he were a danger to society. He was probably looking at another fancy room with chains of iron and of being kept hidden unless it was absolutely necessary for him to make appearances.

Truthfully, it didn’t matter who he would end up marrying. The Prince was certain that he couldn’t love anyone – he certainly felt no such thing for his family and why would he feel such a thing for someone he was being forced into a partnership with?

The young man wasn’t certain on who exactly were eligible bachelors among the neighboring kingdoms. It seemed things were always changing with someone and it wasn’t like he was allowed to study things too thoroughly, despite needing to keep up appearances that he was the replacement Prince, should the need arise.

He wondered what his future spouse would think of the iron bands he wore all the time when not chained up – or perhaps it wouldn’t even matter. Quinn highly doubted they would be expected to consummate the union so it wasn’t like his future partner would really get a good look at him. Considering this was mostly a marriage to let King and Queen Wilbraham wash their hands of their unwanted son, Quinn wasn’t expecting any sort of loving or nice relationship like his older brother had gotten with his marriage. His younger brother would get a nice marriage too, when he was of age.

Quinn was just the unlucky one, it seemed. He wasn’t going to get nice anything, just because his parents were so fearful of magic.

It wasn’t like he’d ever done anything dangerous with it – he wasn’t at all certain that he could do something dangerous, for that matter. He’d never gotten the chance to experiment enough with what he could do, before the iron had bound him and kept his magic locked away.

Regardless of what deal his parents managed to work out, Quinn knew better than to build up any hope that he would get to be happy wherever he ended up.


	3. Chapter 2

It was rather funny that his mother was behaving in a nearly sickeningly sweet manner to him, as if she cared about the son she kept hidden away all of a sudden.

He sat quietly as he was doted on by the Queen and some attendants – picking out the best garments and flashiest accessories to doll him up with. His mind wandered off to some invention he was thinking up as they chattered, and the Queen barked orders.

There were of course the usual number of guards around just in case which made him want to honestly roll his eyes. Clearly, they thought him stupid enough to try to leave while his mother and the attendants were busy.

It wasn’t like he could do anything anyway – he had iron bands around his ankles that he certainly couldn’t remove in a quick manner.

What was of even more hilarity was that he wasn’t even meeting his husband-to-be! No, he was being dressed up to make an impression on the diplomat coming on behalf of King Bond to make sure final negotiations for marriage went smoothly. Quinn wasn’t going to be seeing any bit of his future husband until the wedding was underway.

Prince Quinn wasn’t sure why this was even necessary – it was all but certain that the marriage would be proceeding but he supposed that things like this were just how it all was done, even if it was frivolous and stupid.

He would much rather be reading another book – though his family’s library wasn’t the largest and he’d read everything in it. The young man wasn’t going to say anything, however. Quinn was a brilliant sort and despite everything, he knew that while unlikely, this marriage could give him a freedom that he had never known before.

By the time his mother was finished making up her mind about how she would be presenting her unwanted son – perhaps she was so gleeful because this was just another step in the process to get rid of him – Quinn felt rather like a doll.

After going through what seemed like his entire wardrobe, Quinn had been dressed in clothing in shades of green that brought out the flecks of green in his hazel colored eyes. The clothes were loose fitting, hiding beneath the layers the form of his body. Loose fawn-brown boots covered his feet (loose to be able to cover the iron bands around his ankles).

Quinn had to admit a slight amount of victorious feelings when his dark hair had refused all attempts to be tamed – much to the ire of his mother. It was as ordered as neatly as it could be and a circlet that rarely saw the light of day was secure on his head.

The Queen swept from the room with a barked command for her son to follow, Quinn just heaving a small sigh as the usual retinue of guards surrounded him to make sure that he didn’t do anything bad – not that he was stupid enough to even try.

The diplomat was arriving as Quinn and his mother were settling into the reception room where the meeting would take place, the King joining the two of them. It was entirely a show, both King and Queen happy to pretend to be happy for Quinn and that they were supporting him, when truthfully they were just eager to be rid of him from their walls.

The Prince really wanted to laugh at how fake his mother and father were being, but perhaps that was something better saved for later when all this fuss and nonsense was done. His parents weren’t the only ones in the room who could act, and Quinn had certainly learned from the best, in that regard.

It was almost too easy to charm the visiting diplomat and put on a show that he was supportive of this soon-to-be union.

It was quite interesting, receiving his engagement ring not directly from his fiancé. The ring was quite substantial – a large emerald surrounded by small diamonds on a ring that looked like thickly woven vines. It was slightly too big on his finger and would require adjustment, but at least it stayed put without slipping right off. It complemented his eyes – a point his mother was quick to make, pretending to actually care about such things.

The Prince was dismissed shortly after receiving the ring, the guards assigned to keep tabs on him surrounding the young man as he was taken right back to his room in the tower. For now they didn’t chain him back up again, allowing him free movement (around just his room at least) and keeping a close watch on him.

Quinn settled himself on one of the chaise lounges, one he usually stretched out on for naps or for reading books. At this time, however, he took a moment to gather his thoughts and take another look at the large bauble sitting on his finger.

The ring looked old, perhaps a family heirloom of some kind. It certainly wasn’t recently made, and Quinn was particularly fascinated at the work that had gone into it, namely in the band with the vine pattern. Metalworking was a delicate task and certainly someone skilled had had a hand in making this jewelry.

The Prince sighed and again had to wonder just who he was ending up with for the rest of his life.


	4. Chapter 3

“So, run out of eligible ladies of marrying age?”

King James Bond simply gave his second in command a look and went back to reviewing the reports in front of him.

“What’s the benefit of this, really? I get you’ve already done the marry a woman and have kids thing but it’s not like you need to marry again.”

“What’s the usual benefit for royalty marrying one another, Alec?” James replied with a note of exasperation in his voice. “Trade, stronger ties with allies, you know how it is.”

“Well yes, but this kingdom is doing just fine. You really don’t need to marry again, James. There’s really nothing amazingly beneficial from you marrying this Prince. And isn’t it a bit odd – he’s the second oldest, isn’t he? Shouldn’t that mean he’s the spare?”

“Perhaps I like having a companion, Alec. And perhaps I tire of women.”

Especially after the last one. Madeleine wasn’t exactly going to be missed. She’d always been particularly frosty but marrying her had expanded the kingdom a bit to the north by absorbing her kingdom and she’d produced heirs in the form of twins.

Oliver and Rosalind were perhaps the only thing good out of that marriage, aside from the kingdom growing.

James wasn’t surprised when Alec laughed at this. The King had the dubious honor of being something of a womanizer. All his relationships with women had so far crashed and burned in rather spectacular manners and his reputation meant that it really was hard to think that he would marry another man.

The King gave his best friend an unamused look as he waited for the other man to stop chortling.

“But really, why him?” the second-in-command finally asked when he’d gathered his wits about him again.

“Call it a hunch,” King Bond replied before returning to his paperwork, clearly stating that for now, the conversation was over.

-

It was a bit of an odd hunch, truly. Marrying another man had never really crossed the mind of King James Bond, yet here he was, preparing to do so.

It was rather odd that a supposed spare was being sent away, when generally a spare would remain at his place of birth, even if the first born had children and the spare was moved down the line.

Perhaps the Wilbraham royal family had different views on such things.

As James had told Alec, he did enjoy having a companion and he was oddly a bit tired of women. He’d been through three at this point and none had ended well. Tracy had died during an assassination attempt, the assassin hitting the wrong target. Vesper had been a whirlwind he probably shouldn’t have gotten involved with as he’d still been heavily mourning Tracy at the time – and Vesper had died too.

Madeleine had been pushed on him by advisors who were fretting about the fact that two relationships later, there were still no royal children. James had to admit that he’d been in a rather poor frame of mind to accept such a thing. Madeleine wanted the status and power that would come to her being a Queen and when she fell pregnant, seemed to be the only one not happy about it.

She’d never been fond of children though anyone with half a brain would have realized that children would be expected of someone in her status, especially with no prior relations producing any.

The twins had been just past their first birthday when Madeleine had taken ill with some rare disease and had died – though all attempts had been made to save her. With her lack of wanting to care for the children, James hoped that they wouldn’t remember much about her as they got older.

Maybe the fourth time would be the last attempt he would have to make at a lasting relationship.

-

The return of the diplomat from the Kingdom of Wilbraham brought a sense of excitement from the palace, especially when they heard that the trip was a success and the wedding was going to proceed forward.

Everyone loved a good wedding, even though it meant more work for them. The Royal Seamstress, Eve Moneypenny, especially loved excuses to break from the traditional norm and create ceremonial masterpieces.

She’d already subjected the King to being measured, poked with pins (on purpose, he was sure) and draped in all manner of fabric swatches because Eve couldn’t decide which would work best and he pitied what she would put Prince Quinn through.

The diplomat had given him a good report on the final negotiations, though the man seemed slightly bothered about something.

“His Highness was escorted to and from the meeting with quite a high level of guard. It seemed strange for such protection to be necessary in his own home. His answers seemed almost rehearsed and not that genuine and Her Majesty Queen Wilbraham seemed to be wanting to do the majority of the talking. Perhaps it’s just how things are done there, and they only had him out as courtesy. But still, Your Majesty, there was something I can’t quite put my finger on about the whole thing. I don’t think it’s anything to worry about and the marriage should proceed. It’s more than likely nothing, just perhaps the way they conduct things is odd.”

King Bond had just hummed and nodded in understanding; brow furrowed slightly at the report. Perhaps it was just how things were done there, but it did sound odd – and why would a Prince need a full service of guards in his own home?

What was it about the second oldest of the Wilbraham Royal Family that would require such things inside their own home?

It did make James wonder just what he was potentially getting himself into.


	5. Chapter 4

There wasn’t much fanfare when Prince Quinn was sent off to his new home. The people of the kingdom had always been kept under the impression that he was sickly compared to his siblings, hence why he was rarely seen.

Word was spread that a kingdom by the sea – the next-door neighboring kingdom, to be exact –would be the Prince’s new home. Apparently the royal doctors had stated that he would improve if he had access to the healing powers of salty sea air. The people cheered to hear that another happy marriage was happening and then they went about their day. Since they hadn’t seen Prince Quinn all that often, they didn’t give much thought to him.

The Prince was sent with a small contingent of guards – not enough to be all that impressive but enough to protect him. He was certain the only reason the guards would actually protect him was because they didn’t want to risk any political fallout should the Prince come to harm (or die).

Attendants were sent with him and the young man knew they were being sent to make sure he wasn’t going to be able to use magic. They would make sure the iron stayed on him and would ensure that he was always watched.

They weren’t the typical appearing attendants – they looked strong, like they could easily hold someone or pin someone down for some reason. The two men didn’t look overtly muscled, but one could see that they weren’t the usual fair for a royal attendant.

They even rode with the Prince in his carriage, clearly no one wanting to take a chance that he could break free of the iron bindings around his ankles.  


The iron bands could certainly be picked open by a lock-picking kit or a bent pin – but the Prince was never alone long enough to even try squirreling away something of the sort. Not to mention it wouldn’t have helped – they would have just been put back on him later.

It was annoying, feeling the magic inside of him yet unable to do anything with it. The iron kept the feeling muted and muddy, preventing him from being able to fully grasp it.

He wondered what King James Bond was like. What was the sea like, and would he even get the chance to find out? He’d read about the seemingly endless water and it sounded fascinating. There were so many things that no one knew about the depths and it seemed that the books he’d read were always mentioning that new creatures were constantly being discovered.

Due to safety logistics, the capital of the Bond Kingdom was not right next to the water. It was further inland, though there was apparently a vacation home on the coast.  


Knowing his luck, the Prince was expecting that he’d not be allowed to go, as silly as that sounded.

He’d never been allowed to go to the vacation homes around the Wilbraham Kingdom. He was a monster to his family and those in the palace, so why would he get to do something fun like that?

The Prince completely expected his new home to be much of the same.

-

“What do you think he’ll be like?” Alec asked as he stood near King James. They were watching the approaching caravan that was bringing Prince Quinn to the palace. “Think the kids will give him approval?”

That was certainly a worry that the King had. What would Oliver and Rosalind think of this new person who would be a constant presence in their lives? The twins were known to be picky about who they liked.

“The report from the diplomat makes me think quiet and polite. Nothing too extraordinary,” the King replied softly. “Though perhaps that’s not a bad thing.”

Alec fiddled with the decorative iron gauntlets on his hands, stopping when James gave him a look.

“I can control myself just fine without these, you know,” Alec scoffed. “I don’t see why I need to wear them for this.”

“Because I wouldn’t put it past you to do something,” the King replied. “You aren’t exactly known for restraint and I rather like the current record of nothing burning down we have going on right now. Besides, we don’t know how the Wilbraham family feels about magic. I’d rather not throw such a thing right at my betrothed as soon as he arrives.”

The King himself had a couple rings on his fingers that were iron, keeping his own magic abilities tamped down. The rings were bejeweled and made so that one wouldn’t think they were made of iron if they glanced at them.

Magic was something that wasn’t common yet not quite rare in the royal household of the Bond Kingdom. Both Alec and James had magic, as did the Royal Seamstress, Eve. Bond’s parents had both been magic users as well – it seemed to run in his family.

It wasn’t something James used often; despite being gifted with it. His magic dealt with water creation and manipulation. Alec, hilariously, was the direct opposite with fire. He was also rather prone to destruction and wore gauntlets (he tended to lose things that were smaller, such as rings). Eve’s magic was more interesting. It triggered if she used a particular tone of voice, ensnaring a target and making them happily give up any information about anything. While she was the Royal Seamstress, she also doubled as a secret agent of sorts – able to blend in when needed and obtain juicy information. There was a reason she was the queen of gossip in the palace.

As the caravan approached, James was certain that the windows in the palace were full of servants gawking at the newcomer. It hadn’t been all that long, really, since Madeleine had died, and everyone was very curious about the arriving Prince that their King was going to marry.

Those gathered in the front courtyard watched the caravan pull to a stop, guards lining the carriages holding presents for the wedding from Prince Quinn’s family, as well as his own belongings and those of his attendants.

A guard opened the door to the carriage that Prince Quinn was riding in and offered a hand to help him exit, the attendants following behind the royal.

James took in the sight of the other. Quinn seemed rather slight, the tan and forest green clothing he wore seeming to nearly swamp his frame. A simple circlet was making a failed attempt to hold back his dark curls and his hazel eyes looked large behind dark-framed glasses.

With the attendants watching closely, yet staying put beside the carriage, Prince Quinn was escorted up to meet his soon-to-be-husband.

“His Royal Highness, Prince Quinn Alexander Wilbraham.”

The two royals greeted one another, everything quite formal. Pleasantries were exchanged as servants moved to unload the carriages and show Prince Quinn’s attendants where his quarters would be. They seemed a little disappointed to have the Prince going out of their sight but aside from looking slightly put-off, did nothing.

When the royals went inside the palace, those who had been eagerly watching Prince Quinn’s arrival returned to their duties, the excitement over for now.


	6. Chapter 5

King James had been planning to introduce Prince Quinn to the twins at a later time, after he’d given the younger man a tour of his new home.

The twins had other ideas about their Papa’s plans and let the world know they were quite unhappy about something by shrieking and wailing like banshees. Their cries were easily heard echoing through the halls and drew a rather concerned look from the Prince.

Alec was on the verge of laughing hysterically at the look on the King’s face as he realized the awkward situation they had just been put in.

“How…how do you feel about children?” James finally asked weakly, wincing at a particularly high-pitched wail from one of the twins. How their nanny put up with their tantrums, he would never understand. Amelia was a saint, really. The royal children were just over two years old and unfortunately for everyone else, were experiencing the horror known as Terrible Twos.

By this point Alec was failing to hide his sniggers and Prince Quinn looked a bit pale and slightly frightened at the noise the twins were producing. The sheepish behavior of the King wasn’t helping matters either.

“I’ve never been around children before,” the Prince replied finally. This was mostly true – he’d been around his brothers, but only on the rare occasion they all needed to make public appearances. He had no experience with children otherwise. He’d not been allowed to play with his brothers once his magic appeared. His younger brother hadn’t been born yet when he’d shown the aptitude for magic and he had no memories of playing with his older brother.

The noise coming from the two young royals grew louder and more horrid sounding as they approached the playroom they spent most of the day with.

Amelia was watching the twins with a knowing look as the little ones sat in the middle of the room, wailing like banshees. Their nanny apparently had realized that the children just needed to wear themselves out with crying. She noticed the King entering and offered him a curtsy.

“What set them off this time?” James asked, wincing at the volume his children were producing, Alec and Quinn staying out of the room for the moment.

“Oliver decided he didn’t like clothes today,” Amelia replied with a wry smile. “Rosalind saw that he was upset and decided that she needed to be upset as well.”

Hoping that his hearing wouldn’t take a beating, the King knelt down and gathered the toddlers into his arms, breathing a small sigh of relief when they quieted upon realizing that their Papa was there.

“Hello darlings,” James cooed, chuckling at the tear-streaked little faces looking up at him, Oliver still looking particularly miserable. “What’s this about not liking clothes, hm?” 

“No clothes!” Oliver whined, pouting and clearly expecting his Papa to understand what exactly he was trying to explain. 

“No clothes!” Rosalind echoed though she wasn’t exactly whining and now that James was holding her, seemed to no longer be upset about anything. 

The twins weren’t wearing anything that seemed to be made of anything uncomfortable – the fabrics were soft, and nothing was too tight. Lately Rosalind was in a phase where she really liked the color yellow and Oliver liked blue, so the clothes were their favorite colors. 

Oliver wriggled and James noticed that his son seemed to be reaching for his feet – where a small pair of shoes were nicely tied in place. 

“Are your shoes bothering you, Oli?” the King asked, shifting his hold on the twins and standing, taking them over to Amelia. “I suppose he means he doesn’t like his shoes today.” 

“They are a new pair,” Amelia hummed in agreement. “Perhaps they are a little tight. I’ll send for Eve and have her bring the cobbler to have a look. If Your Majesty is fine with it, I think he’ll be fine without in this room, at least. The floor is soft and safe for it.” 

“If it would prevent another meltdown, then I think he can go without shoes in here. Rosie too, even though she doesn’t seem bothered by hers.” 

Amelia nodded and went to fetch a servant, though she paused at the doorway where Alec and Prince Quinn were still standing. 

James motioned for the two to enter and they did so, the twins perking up at the sight of 'Uncle' Alec, though they immediately hid shyly against their Papa when they saw the Prince.

“Well, not the introduction I was hoping for,” the King chuckled. “These two banshees are my children. Oliver Andrew Xavier Bond and Rosalind Alexandra Marie Bond. Oli, Rosie, this is Quinn. He’s going to be staying with us from now on.”

The twins didn’t seem to be that impressed and kept themselves attached like limpets to their Papa.

“They’ll take a while to adjust,” James apologized to Quinn. “So far they have a very small amount of people they’ll take to.”

The twins seemed loathe to let their Papa go now that he was here, and James was perhaps a little reluctant to hand them back to Amelia, who had returned to the room after passing along a message to a servant to fetch Eve and the cobbler.

It was clear the children adored their father and they whined when they were eventually handed back to Amelia so that James could continue to show Quinn around the palace. A few soothing words and being taken back to their toys had the twins forgetting being upset.

As the royals left the room, James couldn’t help noticing with fond amusement that Oliver seemed to be over the earlier trauma of wearing new shoes, as he was happily playing once again and the shoes were still on his feet, clearly no longer bothering him.


	7. Chapter 6

To James, his betrothed seemed nice, but mysterious at the same time. He seemed reserved and while James was happy to regale him with information about his new home, he was surprised the younger man apparently had no questions to ask – about anything.

Things changed however, when they entered the library. James was rather proud of it – it was quite a large room and spanned two stories. There were large windows bringing in sunlight, complete with plush window benches for reading and lounging. Thick rugs covered the wood floor. Couches and chairs were placed to where one could sit and chat with a friend or small group or sit comfortably alone for a good book. Lamps were placed to optimize lighting needs and there was even a fireplace in the center of one wall, for extra warmth during the slight chill of winter.

There were even desks placed around as well as tables to spread out books and other documents on. The desks were stocked with various paper sizes and pens for if one wanted to write notes about something or write correspondence to someone.

In one corner of the library room, James had clearly thought about his children. The books in this corner were for various stages of childhood and there was a small child-sized table and chairs set that was a perfect size for the current age of the twins. A shelf unit near the table held paper and drawing items as well as clean-up supplies. It was a nice little corner for learning.

James hadn’t read every book in the library, but he was still proud of how diverse a collection it was. He’d been fond of languages growing up so while it looked like he had some duplicates of books, each copy was a different language that the King had learned. The books helped him keep his language skills from getting too rusty.  
Quinn seemed to be having a moment.

The Prince was clearly trying to restrain his wonder at the sight of so many books and the King was glad to see that his future spouse was clearly so taken with the sight of so much knowledge. He wondered what sort of education the Prince had gotten – Quinn was still a bit mum on personal information, seemingly a bit uncertain how much to share – and it soothed a bit of worry that the younger man might not be interested in such things.

Prince Quinn couldn’t believe the amount of books. Certainly the library at his former home had been rather nice, but it paled in comparison to what King James had put together.

He couldn’t help but be impressed, already imagining what it might be like to spend hours here, soaking up as much as he could from the many books.

That of course, hinged on if he would even be allowed. At his prior home, he’d not been allowed in the actual room for long periods of time. He had been allowed once a week to exchange whatever he had just finished reading for new material and then was escorted promptly back to his tower.

He’d been kept under such close scrutiny and the excitement of such a nice library in his new home quickly faded. Quinn was expecting something similar here, though the King did seem nicer compared to his parents – though it could have also been just an act.

The little seed of worry grew back to a small seedling of worry as King James literally watched the light of excitement in Quinn’s eyes die.

“Is there something wrong?” James asked after a moment.

The Prince seemed taken aback momentarily, clearly not expecting to be asked such a thing.

“It’s…fine. Everything’s fine,” Quinn replied, response spoken in that slightly-too-quick manner that betrayed nervousness about something. “I’m sorry, this is a really nice library, truly. I suppose I’m just feeling overwhelmed about all this.”

While the statement didn’t cause the worry to lessen, it was something at least. James didn’t believe it was entirely truthful, however, but didn’t pry further. There would be time once all the wedding hype settled down for the two to get to know one another better, and the King hoped that Quinn could open up to him and give him some proper answers.

“It is all a bit much, isn’t it?” James replied with a little bit of a wry smile. “I’m sorry, perhaps I’ve been impolite to show you everything at once. It had slipped my mind that this would all be new to you.”

Quinn had the feeling perhaps that he’d slighted the King. Not particularly a good thing considering this was their first meeting before the big wedding happened in a few days’ time.

-

“He’s hiding something,” Alec commented that evening after the day was over and Prince Quinn was in his own quarters for the night.

“Thank you Captain Obvious,” James growled. “And don’t you dare suggest I unleash Eve on him. The last thing I want to do is give him a bigger reason to hate me.”

“Eve might unleash herself on him, you know how she is,” Alec shot back with a snigger. “Though you know she won’t use her magic on him. Honestly she could probably charm him into spilling the beans without it. You know how she is, making friends with every wayward person that crosses her path, and that Prince fits the bill.”

“He was so excited when we first entered the library. It’s like he’d never seen something before of that scale,” James continued, ignoring Alec’s comment. “The last time I watched the light in someone’s eyes die was when Madeleine found out she was pregnant. I was hoping I would never get to experience that sort of thing again.”

Yet here was Prince Quinn. Mysterious, beautiful Prince Quinn who seemed to be hiding a small world of secrets that he was clinging tightly to.

James wondered what sort of place the Prince had come from that had clearly trained him to not show his true self to anyone else.


	8. Chapter 7

Eve had been quite curious about the betrothed of King James and while she’d gotten a glimpse of him on his arrival, she had been anxious to see him in person.

He was quite pleasing on the eyes though she could tell that there was something weighing him down as he seemed a bit withdrawn.

It didn’t help that his two assistants were giving her not-so-friendly looks.

“My apologies for the intrusion this morning, Your Highness. I’m Eve Moneypenny and I’m in charge of your clothing. I need to take some measurements so we can tailor your wedding outfit and further garments to fit you correctly.”

Quinn just nodded at this and stood from the chair he was sitting in, where he’d been partaking of some morning reading.

“We can do the measurements and send them to you,” one of the attendants piped up, sounding rather grumpy. “No need to put yourself through the trouble.”

Eve raised an eyebrow at this.

“This is my job, gentlemen,” she replied. “If this is to protect modesty I can assure you there’s no need for alarm. My family has served the King’s family for generations in this manner and I know how to be professional about it.”

The attendant opened his mouth to say something else but snapped it shut when the Prince held up a hand, clearly indicating that the attendant needed to shut up.

“Let Miss Moneypenny do her job,” Quinn instructed. “Please remember where we are and how your behavior reflects on myself. It would be remiss of you to forget this and cause problems by giving them reason to think negatively about this situation.”

Neither attendant looked thrilled, but they moved away to give Eve space to work with the Prince.

“My apologies,” Quinn said once they had backed off. “This is a new situation for us, and it would seem it has caused a bit of tension. What do you need me to do, Miss Moneypenny?”

Eve pulled out a notepad and pen, ready to take notes.

“I noticed your garments are more on the loose and flowing side,” she started. “Is that a personal preference, Your Highness? If it’s something you’re used to we can accommodate that easily. That style may also be a good idea to keep since our environment is in general slightly warmer on the average than the inner lands.”

It had never been his choice on how he’d gotten to dress. The family seamstress hadn’t ever really wanted to be close enough to do proper measurements, so most things had been done this way to hide any ill fit and to hide the iron bands on his legs to prevent questions being asked.

“I wouldn’t call it preference…” the Prince murmured. “But I suppose I have gotten used to it.”

Eve nodded and jotted down some more notes.

“And do you have a preference of footwear? It looks like you’re wearing boots and those can get a bit uncomfortable here with the humidity and warmer climate. May I take a look, Your Highness? I’ll need to make sure the cobbler makes things the right size for you.”

The Prince seemed hesitant and the attendants visibly stiffened as he tugged up the loose fabric of his long pants so that Eve could see his boots.

Eve frowned slightly, her brow furrowing.

“These don’t look properly sized. Almost a size or two too big.”

With quiet permission she removed the boots and the reason for the wrong size became apparent.

The attendants looked like they were preparing to throw her out of the room and the Prince’s posture had gone stiff.

The thick iron bands did not look comfortable. Their size explained why his boots were ill-fitting and the socks he wore were also not sized properly. Removal of these showed that his feet weren’t in good condition – skin irritated with some small blisters and sores. Eve couldn’t imagine how difficult it made walking.

It said something that the Prince could walk around like this without displaying any signs of discomfort.

Now the attendants looked a little murderous.

“Your Highness….” Eve started, trailing off at the look that the Prince shot her.

The rest of the visit had a quite tense atmosphere to it and Eve left with a new insight to the Prince – and a rather important thing to go bring to the Kings attention.

-

“You’re sure about what you saw?” King James asked Eve, who looked rather perturbed. “There were iron bands on his legs?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Eve replied. “His feet are in poor condition from improperly sized footwear, which I imagine is due to the need to hide the iron bands from view. His attendants were also very reluctant to have me do my work and looked about ready to kill me when I looked at his feet and the bands.”

The King pondered this, and Alec looked like he wanted to set something on fire – probably the attendants of the Prince, if anyone had to guess.

“I believe I have some answers then, on a lot of things regarding this marriage agreement,” James said finally. “I think the Wilbraham family was trying to get rid of Prince Quinn without having to resort to outright killing him.”


	9. Chapter 8

The attendants of Prince Quinn seemed beyond unhappy that the Prince was being seen by more people following Eve’s initial visit. The royal doctor had seen him and had tutted at the sight of the bands and poor feet condition as well as commenting that Quinn seemed to be underweight.

“His Highness needs to have the condition of his feet treated,” the doctor reported to King James, frowning. “He also needs to put on some weight and certainly those iron bands need to be removed. Also, perhaps something can be done about those attendants of his? They were rather rude, and His Highness had to command them to let me do my job! I’ve never experienced anything quite like it, Your Majesty.”

“Eve had the same report about them, which is concerning. I suspect the iron bands are to hold back magic ability and considering the behavior of his attendants, I suspect that their orders were to make sure the Prince never has a chance to try and remove the bands nor use whatever magic ability he has,” King James replied with a slightly-exasperated sigh. “I have the feeling that the Wilbraham family was not one with fondness for magic users. They were probably sent along to keep him in line, and I doubt that they usually are so obedient to orders from him. Considering they are now, perhaps we can use that to our advantage to at least get him medical treatment and proper nutrition. I would like him to be able to feel and be at his best for the wedding and in general.”

“I can always help with the convincing,” Alec chimed in with a grin and wriggle of his fingers. It’d been a nice while since he’d spooked someone with his fire.

“While it would be amusing, perhaps wait until after we’re married?” James replied. “I’d rather make sure the Prince is safe before something happens to make the Wilbraham family want to call this off – I’m sure you’ve seen that they have been keeping steady correspondence with the Prince – or more likely, the attendants – making sure it all goes to their plans.” 

“You really think they would call it off over a little magic?” Alec asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Considering what they have done to the one magic user in their family, I wouldn’t put anything past them,” the King answered. “It’s so easy to see just how beaten down Prince Quinn is and how much he’s been controlled. We value our freedoms here and I’d like to make sure he’s safe enough to experience life on his own terms for once.”

“So, I have blanket permission to give them a little scare once the marriage is all official?” Alec questioned, clearly delighted at the thought of giving Prince Quinn’s attendants a bit of a fright.  


“I don’t know why you’re even bringing up getting permission,” James replied wryly. “You’re just going to do it anyway, even if I told you not to.”

Not that he was going to deny Alec a bit of fun, once Quinn was safe from the clutches of the Wilbraham family once the marriage was finalized.

They just had to play the game for a few more days and hope that nothing went wrong in the meantime.

-

Quinn hissed softly as salve was rubbed onto the blisters on his feet. It was nice that the discomfort would soon be ending, but the salve stung!

The iron bands that he’d been kept in had been replaced with one of the thinner sets that had been brought with the rest of his belongings. While the royal physician hadn’t been thrilled to see them, they were at least less of an issue compared to the thick ones. They did the job just as well anyway.

The attendants were at least being dutiful in applying the salve the physician had brought and instructed them in the use of. Quinn was certain that they were happy to hear him experiencing discomfort with it, all things considering.

The Prince was attempting to enjoy a morning of pre-wedding pampering. His unhappy attendants had made faces but hadn’t done or said anything as he bathed and got to enjoy it for once. He was able to relax for a while in hot water with salts and soaps that left his skin soft and his hair feeling cleaner than ever.

Not that the mass of dark hair on his head was allowing itself to be tamed into any sort of neatness post-bath. At least it wasn’t tangled and for once having his hair brushed wasn’t a painful experience.

The wedding garb that Eve and the royal seamstresses had put together were hanging on the door of his wardrobe, waiting to be put on. While the clothes were flowy and lightweight, given the climate of the Bond kingdom, they were properly tailored so that they fit Quinn.

Delicate embroidery lined the hems of the pants and sleeves, silver in color and in patterns of twisting vines with tiny flowers. The flower centers were crystals. The pants and top had pearl buttons and the top also had a high collar. A silver and blue sash was hanging as well, to be wrapped around his waist once the rest of the outfit was on.

Shoes sat beneath the outfit. They were white to match the clothes and also had delicate embroidery – they were slipper style, soft to help keep from further irritating his healing feet.

Quinn would be wearing the engagement ring and it would symbolically be changed out for a wedding band. He would also be coronated as King Consort and be given another ring as well as a crown to designate his new position.

Until he was crowned, Quinn would wear a circlet for the wedding ceremony brought from his home Kingdom – silver in a vine pattern with crystals and small green emeralds that would make the green in his hazel eyes pop.

The Prince felt slightly nervous about the whole thing – marriage was a rather big deal after all and while his family had orchestrated the whole thing they wouldn’t be there.

He’d been aware of his family staying in contact with the attendants and he knew they were driving home the point that the attendants needed to keep him from using his magic to make sure nothing went awry and ruined their plans.

Unfortunately for them, Quinn had realized that perhaps this kingdom was in fact more welcoming of magic and he was looking forward to what he suspected were days of freedom ahead of him – once the marriage was official.

Then maybe he could send the attendants away – he was certain that his soon-to-be-husband would provide him with nicer ones.

The Prince soon found himself being dressed once the salve had been given time to set. He felt the butterflies in his stomach settling as the clothes were settled onto his body and then fastened into place.

Eve was waiting for him outside of the chapel – guests were already seated, and King James had already made his way up to the alter. She had a bundle of rich looking white fabric bundled in her arms and Quinn was a bit confused.

The Prince was surprised to see Alec with her as well – he had thought that the King’s right-hand man would have accompanied the Bond ruler inside the chapel already.

“I get the grand honor of walking you up the aisle!” Alec chortled, giving Quinn a playful, sweeping bow. “Since your family isn’t here to provide the honor, His Majesty suggested that I step into the proverbial role.”

The attendants looked like they wanted to complain but they weren’t dressed for the occasion and it certainly wasn’t a duty of theirs to escort the Prince. In fact, they found themselves being hustled away by higher ranking staff and the looks on their faces indicated they were none too happy.

Eve grinned and unrolled the bundle in her arms, revealing a faux fur lined white and silver cape. The decoration matched the vine and floral patterns on his wedding clothes and circlet and Eve took a moment to drape it about his shoulders, a few well-hidden clips and seemingly delicate-yet-not silver chains holding it in place as she fanned it out behind him to make a statement.

The young woman also surprised Quinn by kneeling down and producing what looked to be a lock-pick, swiftly removing the iron around his ankles.

“None of that nonsense today,” the seamstress said with a grin while Alec was clearly trying not to have a fit of laughter. “Today and going forward, you get to decide whether or not you want to stay iron bound, Your Highness.”

She stepped back and Alec took his place, offering Quinn his arm with a cheeky grin as the grand doors to the chapel were thrown open.


	10. Chapter 9

The chapel of the palace was normally a seldom visited section of the palace. The King wasn’t terribly religious and so it was only used for mostly ceremonial occasions or by staff making sure it was kept clean of dust and cobwebs from disuse.

The tall windows were sparkling clean, sunlight streaming through and providing extra light along with the hanging lamps. Pews were filled with advisors and their families, as well as invited dignitaries from allies – though no one was there from the Wilbraham Kingdom, as expected.

Garlands of thick green vines with white flowers decorated the eves and there were white bows fastened onto the ends of the pew benches. A regal red carpet stretched down the length of the aisle and the palace priest – who had rather an easy job since the chapel was rarely used – stood at the alter in his finest robes.

The walls were white marble with statues carved into the stone, positioned between the tall windows. The figures were probably various important religious figures, but James hadn’t much paid attention to those lessons growing up. Even if he wasn’t religious himself, it was still good to have such things in the palace, for appearances sake if nothing else.

Behind the alter were layers of draped dark blue fabrics along the back wall in recognition of the sea. Below the drapes was a white alter table, where important religious relics rested to always be on display, along with the crown that would replace the circlet on Quinn’s head when he was coronated.

King James stood at the base of the alter platform, waiting for Prince Quinn to join him. The King was dressed in clothing representative of the sea – dark blues and teals, embroidery resembling waves and seabirds along hems and on the dark blue cape trailing behind him. His shoes were black and shining. He wore his ceremonial crown – a larger and bulkier piece than the one he wore for his day-to-day audiences and such. It was silver and decorated with pearls and blue sapphires.

The great doors leading to the chapel opened and there was a small murmur through the crowd.

“All rise for His Royal Highness, Prince Quinn Alexander Wilbraham.”

It was purely a marriage of politics, but King James couldn’t help but still feel something at the sight of the Prince making his way down the aisle, escorted by Alec.

The more James watched Quinn; he couldn’t help but notice there was something different about the Prince.

The young man seemed more confident, somehow. It was like a literal weight had been lifted from the Prince’s shoulders and he seemed to be carrying himself a bit taller, a bit surer of himself and his place in the world.

King James wondered at this and pondered on what could have happened to cause such a change.

Alec and the Prince reached the alter and the right-hand man of the King stepped aside to stand near to James, to provide support during the ceremony.

The priest gestured for the audience to be seated and adjusted his glasses before starting to read from the ceremonial book he was holding.

“In marriage we seek to find someone to share the journey of life with. We seek companionship through all the trials put before us, someone to guide and to support our endeavors and to cheer us on. We seek someone to offer us wisdom in areas that we are lacking.”

King James glanced over to his soon-to-be-husband, but Quinn seemed to be quite focused on the words the priest was saying.

“Marriage is unity. It brings people together. In this union, we pray that this togetherness will bring new prosperity to the Kingdom through the joining of two families by marriage. May it strengthen ties and bring benefit to all.”

The priest gestured for the two to face one another as he turned another page in the book.

“Now, behold one another. This is your companion in life. May you trust one another and seek each other’s wisdom and guidance. May your rule be fair and may your union bring you both joy. May this guide the kingdom to continued prosperity and keep peace between the nations forming stronger ties through marriage today.”

The two were guided through vows to one another – identical for the most part – more for formality at this point as all marriage documents had been signed a day before and this ceremony was just that – a ceremony.

Prince Quinn’s engagement ring was removed by King James, handed to Alec who tucked it away and he handed the wedding bands to the King in return.

The wedding bands were simple gold bands. Quinn’s was braided while James’s band had a thin band of rose gold. Being royalty meant having a lot of overly decorative things to wear and King James had correctly guessed that Prince Quinn would at least want to have a piece that wasn’t so over the top.

“Rings symbolize a bond. May this bond be everlasting and proof of agreement between the nations for peace and shared prosperity. May you see these rings and remember the agreement you have made together on this day. Now, I pronounce you wed, by the power invested in me and in the sight of the gods who we all serve.”

The priest turned to the table and lifted the crown that was sitting there. The crown was ceremonial, like James's and was also silver in color. It shared the pearl pattern but had brilliant green emeralds as the gem of choice instead of blue sapphires.

“Marriage should be among equals,” he said, holding the crown up for all to see. “Therefore, today we also celebrate the coronation of the King Consort, Quinn Bond. Royal King Consort to His Majesty, King James Bond.”

James himself lifted the circlet from Quinn’s head and the priest set the crown in place. The circlet was set on the table where the crown had rested. Next came the presentation of the signet ring that would proclaim Quinn’s position to the world.

“Consort in name, equal in rulership to His Majesty King James. This ring is a symbol of your position. From today on, you will demonstrate to the nations what kind of leader you are. The people will look to you, as they do King James, for guidance. May the gods bless you with favor and may your reign be long.”

The signet ring was a dark metal. There were no jewels and the crest of the Bond Royal Family – of which Quinn was now a part of – was set into the metal. The ring was a match to the signet ring that King James wore.

With a nod from the priest conducting the ceremony, the two turned to face the gathered audience.

“Before those gathered here today, we have witnessed a new union being born and before you and in the eyes of the gods we have crowned the King Consort. Let us all pray for the prosperity of this marriage and the kingdoms that it has united.”

The priest motioned for the crowd to rise and James offered his arm to Quinn for the two to make the walk together down the aisle. They would adjourn briefly to a side room where some of the extra wedding trappings would be replaced with other garments. Then the royal couple would join the guests in the great hall for the wedding feast.

James continued to silently marvel at the new aura that seemed to surround his now-husband. Perhaps they would have a moment amidst all the wedding chaos where he could ask Quinn about it – though he wasn’t entire certain how to phrase the question.

He had a feeling that the question would spawn an entire conversation about things, and that it would have to wait until after the wedding celebrations were over.


	11. Chapter 10

There were two little surprise guests waiting in the side room when James and Quinn arrived. Rosie let out an excited squeal at the sight of her Papa all dressed up and wearing sparkly things. She and Oliver were being held by Amelia and Oliver was quick to echo his sister in the excited squealing.

The twins were used to seeing their Papa every day and the wedding had thrown the usual routine off, making them unhappy.

“I thought perhaps they would like to see you dressed up, Your Majesty,” Amelia explained as the twins made grabby hands towards their Papa. “They’ve missed you quite a bit.”

“I feel awful that I haven’t been around to give them bedtime stories,” James agreed. Quinn was already being herded off by attendants – his own nowhere in sight – to have the extra fancy crown and cape removed for the celebratory dinner. The crown was replaced with a smaller, lighter one and no capes would be worn for the dinner.

Quinn watched James as the attendants did all the work, still finding it a little surprising to see a family unit so happy. It certainly was something he wasn’t used to experiencing.

James was eventually herded away from the children, who whined and fussed as Amelia did her best to soothe them as she took them back to their room. Quinn could see that James was a little torn on following to comfort them but joining the guests for the feast took preference – they did need to keep up appearances and such, after all. Especially for such a big occasion.

-

It was strange to be introduced as a King Consort – much less be properly introduced at all. Quinn’s parents had always kept him away from most events, using the excuse that he had been cursed with general poor health. Any time the public saw him was during any event the family just stood on a balcony and waved or rode in carriages around town in some form of parade.

James and Quinn were seated at the head table, raised up a little higher than the rest of the tables spread out in the grand dining hall. Servants bustled around making sure that food and drink were plentiful – though they did make sure that no one was drinking too much.

Quinn didn’t touch the wine in his own goblet, a quiet side word with an attending servant replacing it with fruit juice and keeping it filled with such – though only James seemed to have caught the change. The King didn’t say anything, though he did file it away as something to ask Quinn about later.

The King also noticed that his new husband didn’t touch much of the food on his plate – though Quinn did at least eat a little bit. Eating was something that still needed to be worked on – apparently Quinn wasn’t used to eating large portions of food and didn’t feel hunger like the average person, according to the royal physician. Quinn’s now former family hadn’t been the best at keeping him well-nourished and his body had adjusted to less and to not feeling hunger normally.

The new King Consort seemed a little unsettled with the crowd, though again, this wasn’t entirely unexpected. Quinn was being thrust into new situations he’d not gotten to experience, given the type of life he’d just come from.

As the feast wore on and Quinn seemed to be just poking at his food with a fork without taking any bites, James could see that being the center of attention (for a good reason, for once) was starting to wear on his new husband’s nerves. The King reached over and covered one of Quinn’s hands with his, hoping to give the younger man a bit of reassurance. They wouldn’t have to stay for too much longer. 

The touch of James’s hand on his seemed to startle Quinn slightly, though he kept his composure, aside from stiffening slightly in posture and glancing over to the King in slight confusion.

It was likely that the Wilbraham family had never offered a shred of comfort to Quinn during times when he needed it. 

James stood, causing the noise of conversation to die down as everyone brought their attention to the King.

“The King Consort and I are grateful for your support and your presence with us today. We are glad for the celebration and hope for continued peace and prosperity between our nations. While we are glad to spend this time with you, there are other matters we must attend to tonight. In particular, there are two small children who have been missing their Papa who owes them quite a few makeup bedtime stories.”

This drew a few chuckles from those gathered – it was no secret after all that King James was a father. Most of those gathered had children (and even grandchildren) of their own. They understood that all the wedding chaos had probably taken His Majesty away from his children more than he wanted.

“Please continue to enjoy each other’s company a while longer and tomorrow morning there will be a breakfast feast to fortify you on your journeys home.”

King James motioned for everyone to stay seated as he turned to Quinn, the King Consort doing well at hiding his obvious relief that they were departing for the evening. The younger man took James’s offered hand and to a smattering of polite applause, the two left the dining hall.

Once out of sight from their audience, Quinn’s shoulders visibly drooped and he took on a more worn out appearance. 

“It’s still early enough that the twins will be awake, but you don’t have to join me to see them,” James stated as they moved through the halls. “I have a feeling today has been rather draining and although there will be a breakfast feast tomorrow morning, you are welcome to not join in. It’s not as formal as today’s event was.” 

He had the feeling that Quinn would crash soon and would probably prefer to get a good sleep instead of being woken up early for breakfast.

“It wouldn’t be seen as rude?” Quinn asked softly, sounding as tired as he looked. “I wouldn’t want to insult the guests by not being there, even if it isn’t a formal event as you say.”

“Appearances are important but as tired as you seem to be, I think everyone would rather have you get as much sleep as you can. I know all this hasn’t been easy and it’s all been rather new for you, so it’s understandable if you need the extra rest and to avoid another crowd. The breakfast really is informal – not even all the guests will be there, more than likely. I expect some will travel this evening if they live close enough, to be honest.”

Most of the nobility who had attended were minor nobility of the Bond Kingdom, with a few from neighboring countries as a friendly courtesy. Not many would have too far to travel.

Quinn still seemed torn on if he should show up for breakfast in the morning though as they reached his room – James wasn’t going to push him on sharing a room, and besides, it was common for royal couples to have and use separate bedrooms anyway – he seemed to steel himself again.

“Just get some rest tonight,” the King suggested to his new Consort. “Then see how you feel in the morning, how about that? You need time to adjust to all this and I’m going to do my best to not push you too fast.”

The two parted ways at this, quietly wishing one another a good evening before Quinn disappeared into his room and James continued down the hall to see his darling children.

Perhaps if they had time tomorrow, and if Quinn felt rested enough, they could have a conversation.


	12. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note the additional tag of Emotional/Psychological Abuse - it was added for this chapter in particular.  
> What can I say - the idea for this chapter flowed out and I just wanted to get it up right away...

King Consort Quinn entered his quarters, shutting the door behind himself and letting out a slow breath. It had been a rough day – despite it being probably being one of the nicest days of his life – and his new husband had been right in that he was worn out.

Quinn had never been one for crowds – he had been kept away from them and hadn’t gotten to know what it was like to deal with them. For all their pretending of showing him off as the spare heir, Quinn had to wonder if anyone had ever thought that perhaps his parents were lying. Considering he’d been the supposed spare, some probably had to wonder why Quinn wasn’t at more events – the poor health excuse could probably only go so far – and why the youngest Prince was playing the role instead.

It certainly was strange to marry off a spare to another kingdom – even if the direct heir had their own children.

Quinn moved through the small sitting room that doubled as the entrance to his quarters and his good mood took a bit of a plummet at the sight of his attendants waiting for him – and neither one looked happy (but then again, they rarely actually looked happy unless they were making him suffer).

The attendants didn’t say anything as they helped Quinn undress from his fancy clothes and into something simpler for winding down the evening and eventually sleeping.

They did, however, react rather poorly when they saw that the lightweight iron bands had been removed from his ankles, jumping back with hissing breaths of alarm.

“How did you get those off?!” one of them hissed while the other scrambled to find replacements among Quinn’s belongings. “You know they aren’t supposed to come off! You’re dangerous!”

“I – I didn’t!” Quinn shot back, stepping back from the attendant. “I didn’t take it off – Miss Moneypenny –”

The King Consort didn’t want the bands to be put back on – he wasn’t dangerous, right?

“Why did she do that?!” the first attendant yelped.

“They know!” Quinn snapped back. “They know what the iron is for and they don’t care! They know that iron blocks magic and she took them off me! They don’t need to go back on since they were fine with them being off!”

Both attendants looked rather angry at this and despite the clear indication from Quinn that he didn’t want the iron back on, they seemed rather intent on disobeying.

“Well, they don’t know what kind of magic you have,” the second attendant scoffed as he approached with the thick iron bands that Quinn loathed the most. “They don’t know that you could easily hurt them.”

“Well you don’t know what I can do either!” the fed-up Consort shot back, taking another step back away from the two attendants. “No one knows what I can do – not even me! I’m not a part of the Wilbraham family anymore so don’t you dare! I’ll just get Eve to take them off again. Go crying back to my mother about this – she can’t do anything to me anymore!”

Despite the fact that they really should have been listening to Quinn the entire time they were in his service – and that they especially now should be listening to him – the attendants got downright murderous looks on their faces. Whatever backbone Quinn had grown seemed to disappear as he was easily overpowered, a hand clamped tight over his mouth to prevent him from yelling for help – they knew that once the iron was on their charge would be subdued again, even if the iron just bound his magic and not anything else.

Golden light sparked briefly at Quinn’s fingertips – a panicked response not unlike what had occurred when he was a small child and had been iron bound for the first time.

When the iron bands made contact with his flesh Quinn visibly sagged in the hold the attendant had on him. He wouldn’t allow them to see him cry – he’d stopped letting people see that a long time ago – but he knew they were gloating at gaining control – even though by all means they shouldn’t have done anything without his permission.

“You really should keep them on, you know,” the attendant holding him murmured into his ear. “You said it yourself, Your Majesty…you don’t know what you can do! So how do you know that you aren’t going to hurt someone with your awful magic?”

“You can hate us all you want, but we’re just looking out for you. It would be bad if you hurt your new family, Your Majesty,” the second attendant purred in agreement. “We’re sorry for our disobedience but we’re just making sure things go well. This marriage needs to be successful, doesn’t it? And His Majesty has children – you certainly don’t want any harm to come to them if you were to use your magic!”

Quinn would have offered up a weak retort to this, but there was still a hand clamped over his mouth.

He really should call guards to get the attendants away but maybe they really were just trying to protect everyone – even if they weren’t the nicest and reminded him far too much of his mother. They were right in that he didn’t know what his magic could do fully – he had a vague idea, but he couldn’t fully recall just what he’d been doing as a child to start this whole sad chain of events.

He especially didn’t want to be the reason for harm to come to James’s children. Oliver and Rosalind were the future of the Bond Kingdom and he was just the newest partner to the King – there’d been three before him, after all.

He’d been hopeful when he had been handed over to King Bond to be his husband, though perhaps that had been nothing but wishful thinking.

Quinn was roughly let go of, another demonstration that despite his status as King Consort – he was still no match for the two attendants who were to keep him in line, even though he was no longer part of the Wilbraham family.

The attendants bustled about the room doing their evening tidying, ignoring Quinn entirely as he curled up in bed, striking a rather forlorn figure as he burrowed beneath the blankets, hiding from the world.

The iron around his ankles felt cold and Quinn just stared into the blanket-induced darkness until the exhaustion from the day caught up to him, carrying him away to an unfulfilling sleep.

-

King James was quite pleased that he was finally getting to share a bedtime story with his beloved children – and they were beyond happy to get to spend time with their Papa.

Papa was the best at stories – he even did voices! The books the children had were colorful picture books and lately they had been fascinated with picture books about sea life.

The twins would sleep much easier now that James was free to read to them again each night.

Amelia used the time while the twins were occupied on the room's plush sofa with James to do a little tidying of their bedroom and make sure their beds were ready for sleeping. She also put away toys and set out outfits for the next day for the twins.

For King James, his mind was fully occupied with tending to his children.

He didn’t know that a peaceful evening was only a faraway dream for Quinn.


	13. Chapter 12

The next morning found Quinn poking half-heartedly at a late breakfast brought to his quarters. He found that he wasn’t particularly hungry and although he had slept through the breakfast feast, he still didn’t feel that well rested.

The thick iron bands around his ankle were still cold despite the fact he’d spent the night buried under thick blankets.

He wasn’t entirely sure what to do with his day – there weren’t any official duties for him to attend to and he wasn’t really sure what his new husband would be up to for the day.

James hadn’t exactly mentioned anything last night about plans for the day.

Sighing, Quinn pushed the still rather-full plate away from him and left it for his attendants to deal with later.

There weren’t any words spoken between Quinn and his attendants as they helped him get dressed for the day, though they did look rather smug about the fact that there was iron back on him.

Once he was dressed for the day, Quinn left his attendants to handle the sleeping quarters and attempted to sort out for himself how to get to the library.

If he was going to be in a miserable and tired for the day, then he might as well spend it with a good book.

-

King James made an appearance at the breakfast feast, saying his goodbyes to the remaining guests before they went on their journeys home.

His next stop was the library – Amelia would have the twins there for some learning and he wanted to spend some time with them – he had a feeling that Quinn perhaps wanted some time to himself though he would try to find the King Consort later.

He hoped that Quinn had gotten enough sleep overnight – truthfully, he was a little concerned about just how worn out the Consort had been. Certainly, the events were tiring and perhaps Quinn’s underlying poor health had been a factor, but it was still a bit worrisome.

As he entered the library, he could hear the twins giggling and babbling away in their little learning corner. A smile grew on his face as he approached the children and Amelia, taking a seat on a spare cushion next to the little kiddie table.

“Papa!” Rosie chirped happily, fingers messy with finger paints. Both she and Oliver were wearing older clothes so that they could make a mess and not worry about messing up any of their good clothes.

“Papa!” Oliver piped up, grinning widely as he smeared paints on paper. Neither of the twins were making anything more than colorful abstract art, but they were having fun with it.

“Are you two having fun?” James asked, smiling as he looked at their artistic creations. “Looks like we’ll have more things to put up in your room.”

James was quite content to sit watching the twins, glad that they were having fun. Perhaps once they were finished painting, they could look at story books together. Maybe ones that taught things like the alphabet so the twins could practice.

The doors to the library creaked open and James looked up to see if he could see who was entering.

He watched Quinn enter and while he was glad to see that the other had decided to use the library, the smile dropped from his face when he took in how weary the King Consort looked.

James turned his attention back to the twins and Amelia for a moment as he stood up.

“Papa has to go speak to someone for a minute, but then how about we look at books after?” he said, putting a smile on his face so that the twins wouldn’t suspect anything (they were rather bright for their age).

To twin cheers of delight, James moved across the space to where Quinn was. His new husband had passed by all the books and had dropped almost like a sack of potatoes onto one of the window seats.

The King moved over to where Quinn had flopped down, concern wavering at the edge of his mind. The Consort had his eyes closed and looked for all the world like he’d just fallen right down into sleep. His posture wasn’t entirely relaxed enough for this however, so James knew that he wasn’t in the grips of slumber.

“Quinn?” he asked softly, kneeling down so that he wouldn’t be towering over the other. “Are you alright?”

Quinn’s initial reaction was a bit on the sluggish side, though he jolted and immediately sat up when he realized who was beside him. The younger man looked rather caught off guard and James put a hand out to take hold of one of Quinn’s, trying to convey to the younger man that it was ok.

“My apologies, I…didn’t sleep all that well last night,” the dark-haired man murmured. “I suppose I’m still not used to everything and well, I suppose yesterday was more stressful than I realized.”

“Nothing to apologize for,” James reassured his husband. “Weddings are certainly stressful affairs. I’ll do my best to make sure you have all the time you need to fully settle in. Have you eaten anything yet today?”

James wasn’t surprised when Quinn gave a vague answer, indicating that perhaps he hadn’t really gotten enough sustenance. The King didn’t push however, moreso concerned with Quinn’s overall weary and off-kilter state.

“Perhaps you should go rest some more,” he coaxed gently. While Quinn certainly could nap here James didn’t want the other to be disturbed.

“I would…rather not go back to my quarters right now,” the younger man replied with slight hesitation. “I thought a change of scenery might be nice.”

Was there something about his quarters that Quinn didn’t like?

James was about to ask when his words caught in his throat. Quinn had shifted his position slightly while they were talking, and the King caught a glimpse of thick iron resting by the young man’s ankles.

It seemed it was time for the tag-team of Eve and Alec to get some answers from the attendants.

King James had the feeling that whatever information the two gleaned, it would be information that no one wanted to hear – but that was important to know if Quinn was to be happy.


	14. Chapter 13

There was something just a tad disturbing to see the unholy glee that lit up Alec’s face when James gave him permission to use his fire as a persuasive to get Quinn’s attendants talking. Eve would be using her own magic to convince them to talk, Alec would be the extra incentive to play nice.

Quinn himself wouldn’t be present for the discussion – James was taking the time to introduce Quinn to some of his new duties, having the King Consort accompany him to a few small meetings with some of the council.

James was also going to tell Quinn what was going on regarding the attendants. They weren’t sure how Quinn would react to finding out his attendants were being interrogated – though all things considering they hoped he wouldn’t mind too much.

Alec was all too happy to remove his gauntlets, leaving them in his own quarters as he strolled to Quinn’s, where he would meet Eve outside the door.

-

Eve had removed her iron bangles, eager to get the issue of Quinn’s attendants handled. James had told them that Quinn had iron on again and that clearly it was distressing to the King Consort.

It certainly would be distressing to not have a choice in if one wanted to wear iron or not.

Alec wore iron because he was too reckless otherwise. Eve wore iron because her charm magic could easily cause effects even if she wasn’t purposefully using it.

She smiled as she saw Alec approaching, the mad grin on his face indicating that he was all too ready to burn something – or someone.

Alec knocked on the door to Quinn’s quarters, wondering if it would be polite to just immediately set the attendants on fire when they opened the door.

Unfortunately for him, James had made it clear that he wasn’t supposed to actually hurt them, no matter how much he wanted to. Alec was certain the king himself wanted to beat the attendants to a pulp, but it wouldn’t be very seemly, nor would Quinn probably appreciate it, despite everything.

As the door creaked open, neither turned on their magic and smiled in an unassuming manner as the two attendants looked slightly confused to see them.

“Sir Alec, Miss Moneypenny, are you looking for the King Consort? I believe he is with His Majesty King James this morning…” one of the attendants said with slight wariness in his voice. 

“We’re actually here to speak with both of you,” Eve replied smoothly. “If we may go in and speak together in the sitting room?” 

The two were let in by two still-confused looking attendants and the door was shut behind them. 

Eve and Alec took a seat together on one of the couches while the attendants took the other.

“Is there something we can help you with?” asked the second attendant. 

“We are looking for a bit of information,” Alec replied. “Regarding the continued usage of iron on His Majesty the King Consort. We are aware of the usage of iron to prevent someone from using magic abilities. However, we would like to make it rather clear that in this kingdom, a magic user is allowed to make the decision to wear iron themselves. We have a concern that the Consort has been forced to wear iron.”

The reaction of the two attendants at hearing the accusation-laced reply was nearly instant. Both immediately gained stiffer posture and schooled their features from being open and friendly to cold and closed. 

“What makes you believe that the Consort is being forced?” the first attendant questioned; tension easily picked up in his voice. “Perhaps he understands the danger and is taking every precaution to avoid causing problems.”

“Danger? Is there something about the Consorts magic that is dangerous?” Eve asked with a raised eyebrow. “I would think that if there was something truly dangerous about him, that His Majesty the King would have been informed before the wedding was agreed upon. Or was this all done under false pretenses for the benefit of the Wilbraham kingdom?” 

“I suggest you choose wisely on what you tell us,” Alec piped up with a smirk, casually letting flames spring up at the tips of his fingers. “We have full permission from His Majesty the King to question you as thoroughly as we need to – and by any means possible – to find out everything that’s been wrongly hidden from him.”

The attendants visibly paled when they noticed that Alec’s fingertips were now on fire and that the man didn’t seem bothered by it one bit.

“W-we’re not scared of you!” the first attendant yelped, voice rather squeaky. “This is bullying!”

“And what we believe you’ve done to the King Consort isn’t?” Eve purred, eyes narrowing as she let her charm magic grip hold of both attendants. “Now, how about you tell us what exactly your orders were regarding His Majesty the King Consort? Why is it a problem for his magic to be freely accessible?” 

Alec toyed with the flames on his fingertips as they waited for the two to start speaking. It wouldn’t take long – Eve’s charm magic was quite well refined and the two would soon be spilling the beans, whether they wanted to or not.

The charm magic was almost like hypnotism, putting the affected into a trance-like state. They would remain this way until Eve was finished and removed the hold on them. Unlike hypnotism, which generally resulted with no memories of the event, those who were charmed seemed to be a mixed bag of no memories and recalling the whole time spent under the influence.

In this case, it wouldn’t matter. Either way the attendants would have the option to go back to the Wilbraham kingdom or to enjoy some time in the dungeons, depending on what they revealed. 

“Queen Wilbraham assigned us as the Consorts attendants when he was a teenager. He was old enough and smart enough to remove the iron that he needed to keep on so we were tasked with the normal duties of being an attendant and by making sure – by any means possible – that the iron didn’t come off unless he was being closely supervised.”

“And what about his magic is so scary?” Eve pressed, frowning slightly. “What made it dangerous?” 

“All magic is dangerous!” the second attendant answered. “Especially in the hands of a child. At least, that’s what the Queen told us. We don’t know what kind of magic the Consort has but the Queen told us it’s very dangerous, so he has to keep the iron on.”

“It sounds like no one knows what kind of magic he has,” Alec murmured to Eve. “Sounds like they’re just anti-magic in general…” 

“And how were you to handle the Consort to prevent him from removing the iron?” Eve continued the questioning, cataloging in her mind what information to take to James.

“We were to physically restrain him and in his personal rooms he was to be cuffed and bound in chains to prevent him from going anywhere. We were to monitor him everywhere and make sure he couldn’t pick up anything that could be used to pick the locks on the iron bands. There are no fastenings for chains here, so we have to be extra vigilant. He was escorted by a team of guards who manned stations in his tower when they weren’t taking him outside of it for important matters.”

“A tower?” Alec mused aloud. “He was kept in a tower in the Wilbraham kingdom? That sounds almost like he was purposefully imprisoned….”

“He had to be for everyone’s safety!” the second attendant supplied all too eagerly. “No one knew what he could do if he were let free and since he was royalty and the supposed spare it wasn’t like he could be killed – that would look really bad the Queen told us. So, it was decided to marry him off to someone so that the Wilbraham family would be free of the cursed Prince – er, he was a Prince still at the time this was decided…”

“So magic is seen as a curse? And no one else in the royal family had magic?” Eve questioned. She was sort of wishing that James had given Alec permission to perhaps singe the attendants with his fire. 

“Consort Quinn is the first to have magic,” the first attendant answered. “The King and Queen were very upset when he showed that he had it. Magic isn’t allowed in the Wilbraham kingdom. You either are chained up with iron in the dungeons to rot or you are taken right away to the executioner. Since Consort Quinn was royalty, they had to keep him alive and keep up appearances that all was well inside the family. But it was a huge dishonor! But now the Wilbraham family is happy – they don’t have to play pretend anymore. They just tell everyone that for his health, the former Prince was married off to a climate doctors said was more suitable for his condition.” 

“They do say ocean air is good for ailments,” Alec commented. “An excuse like that probably wouldn’t cause a lot of heads to turn or gossip to start.” 

“And I suppose the Queen had you stay here to make sure that the Consort stayed in line, despite the fact that you are far beneath him in status?” Eve couldn’t help but ask, a touch of anger to her voice. “Is your fear of magic and your Queen that strong that you would bring insult to His Majesty the King by continuing your callous treatment of his Consort?” 

“We do it to protect everyone from the Consorts unknown magic! The King has children, surely it would be unwise to let a magic user – especially one of unknown magic – be free among them? They are the future of the Kingdom, so why would anyone want them around someone dangerous?” the second attendant supplied. “We’re here to make sure the Consort doesn’t cause any grief in his new home with his new family. It’d be bad if he made King Bond look bad with his actions.”

Alec let the fire flare up a little bit more in his hands to ebb some of the utter contempt he felt towards the attendants and towards the Wilbraham royals. He and Eve shared a glance as the seamstress pulled back her magic, letting the effects of the charm magic dissipate. 

The attendants were apparently the rather (un)lucky who got to remember the time spent under the charm affect as they turned white as ghosts promptly and looked rather frightened – for good reason.

“I take it you are aware of what information you have bequeathed to us?” Eve asked smoothly, giving the two a smile that spoke well of what trouble they were now in. “Then I believe you’ll agree that you are to stay put in these rooms whilst I fetch guards. You’re to be escorted to the dungeons to wait until King James has heard the information you have passed to us.”

“You are immediately relieved of your duties, for the safety of the King Consort,” Alec continued. “For that matter, you are relieved for the utter disregard you have of your station, the lack of respect for the King Consort and His Majesty with your actions and perhaps you’ll get to add treasonous behavior to the top of the list, though His Majesty will be the one to decide that in entirety.” 

The attendants wisely remained silent. There was nothing more for them to say.


	15. Chapter 14

When James first told him about the discussion that Alec and Eve were going to have with his attendants, Quinn couldn’t help but feel a bit frightened. 

It was strange though – certainly it had been shown here that magic was ok to leave unbonded, but Quinn had been so conditioned to think that any discussions involving himself and magic would lead to something bad. 

He did wonder what exactly Alec and Eve were going to discuss. His attendants certainly weren’t the nicest people around and definitely didn’t treat him well. They were more his mother’s puppets than true attendants. 

James had explained the point of the discussion and had admitted that perhaps Quinn would know the answers – but they hadn’t wanted to pressure him about things right away, since he was still adjusting and they were already worried enough about his overall health. 

Quinn was still surprised at the amount of care people were putting into their actions regarding him. It was refreshing, to be honest.

“Do you want to join us when Alec and Eve tell me about what they’ve learned?” James asked after he and Quinn had wrapped up an official duty meeting – and James had felt rather proud at how easily Quinn had taken to it. 

The younger man had started out shy and a little unsure, but everyone had been very patient and understanding, letting him flourish at his own speed. By the end of it, he certainly had seemed surer of himself and all had gotten to get a good glimpse of his genius. 

“I don’t think they’ll have found anything that I’m not aware of,” Quinn replied with a sigh. “I know who they follow and perhaps I’ll feel up to telling you the entire story from my point of view. Whatever they tell you will probably make you more upset. I’ll be there if you want me to, but I don’t know what benefit there would be to me being there.”

“Will you want a part in the sentencing of your attendants? What they’ve done is illegal here and considering they were doing it under instruction by another power, would be considered treason considering they did it after our wedding and you took the Bond name. Technically treason has a heavy sentence to it…”

“Send them home,” Quinn murmured. “I know what weight treason carries but I doubt blood on your hands of my former home would look good at this time, despite how things are. I doubt tension between our countries would benefit anyone right now. I don’t need to see them, either.”

He didn’t care if they gave themselves one last victory over him by him not showing up personally. Truthfully, he was tired of the (up until now) lifelong ordeal of attendants who were nothing more than bullies.

Perhaps it would have been nice to personally cut the final tie between himself and his mother, but Quinn found that after everything, he didn’t have that final bit of strength. 

The Consort would let his husband deal with the two and Quinn could finally close the hatch on the troubled part of his life.

“I have better things right now to spend my energy on, I think,” the younger man continued with a slightly weary smile. “I’m still adjusting to my new role and certainly getting myself in better health continues to be a priority…” 

“Only if you’re sure,” King James replied. “Certainly, you need to do what you think will be in your best interest. I will go meet with Eve and Alec while you go take care of yourself. I’ll meet up with you later for dinner if you’re feeling alright with company.”

Quinn nodded in quiet agreement at this plan and the two parted ways for now, Quinn heading to the library – a new favorite destination when he needed to escape his busy mind in a book – and James to his study where he would meet with Eve and Alec to hear what they had uncovered.

-

By the time Eve and Alec had told him what they had found out, James was somewhat regretting not giving Alec permission to set the attendants on fire.

“What should we do?” Alec asked the King, noting how James was doing his best to tamp down on his anger. “Does His Majesty the Consort want to deal with them himself?”

“No, he only suggested a punishment,” James replied with a sigh. “He would prefer – and thinking on it now I do agree with his reasoning – that I send them back to the Wilbraham kingdom. While treason generally is a death sentence, we have to remember how new the connection is between our kingdoms. Having Wilbraham blood on my hands so soon after marriage wouldn’t be ideal, nor would it be the right thing to do in this situation.” 

“Then I suppose sending them back with a message wouldn’t be a good idea either, could be seen as a threat?” Eve pondered. “Though I suppose just getting them out of the Bond kingdom would cut the final connection for the Consort.” 

“I think Quinn would prefer the least amount of hostility possible,” James answered. “Though of course they will have a formal summoning before me. Though perhaps I’ll give them a day or two in the dungeons first, let them stew and enjoy some misery before I kick them out.”

“Ah, so gruel and water for them then,” Alec grinned. “I’m sure they’ll be rather surly by the time you deal with them. But they need to be knocked down a peg or two.” 

“Well then,” James said as he stood from behind his desk. “That’s settled then. I’m going to go see if Quinn is feeling like dinner together. Eve, would you ask Tanner to sort out new attendants for him?” 

“Of course,” Eve replied. “Have to give the Head of Staff something to do around here once in a while.” 

King James’s staff were treated so well that Tanner didn’t often have to figure out new staffing positions – everyone stayed as long as they were able to do their jobs. 

The three parted ways and James headed for the library. He hoped that Quinn would be up to having dinner together – the companionship while eating was nice and considering that James continued to worry about his husband eating enough, it was a way to keep an eye on him and make sure that he was getting enough nutrition.

The King just hoped that getting rid of the attendants would finally put an end to Quinn being unhappy. 

Perhaps they could give the iron bands to the blacksmith to melt down to make other things with. Quinn certainly wouldn’t be needing the things anymore – in fact it would entirely be his decision on if he wanted to wear iron at all. If he did, there were better iron things that could be made – such as rings or bangles. 

Personally, James would be happy to see the iron bands destroyed. No one – Quinn especially – needed iron that thick, uncomfortable and unwanted on them.


	16. Chapter 15

King James sat on his throne in the main hall, where he heard news and conducted daily hearings with the representatives of his people – hearing complaints, requests and doing his best to care for those in his kingdom.

This morning he’d already heard from the representatives and now it was time for the main event of the morning. 

Quinn was absent – keeping true to his word in not wanting to be involved in the sentencing. The Consort was coming out of his shell a little and spending time with Amelia and the children. The twins still needed to get used to him and it would be good for Quinn to learn their routines as well. 

Alec stood off to the side, an imposing figure as the doors at the end of the hall were opened.

Guards entered, two chained males with them. The two former attendants had scowls on their face and looked just a tad worse for wear – clearly not enjoying their time in the dungeons with meager food and drink.

The guards bowed to the King and forced the two men down on their knees. The two ex-attendants looked like they wanted to be rude, but they maintained themselves and said nothing.

“You are both here this morning on the matter of your treatment regarding the King Consort,” Alec said, addressing the gathered court as well as the men. “You are charged with the following crimes per our laws and by the Grace of His Majesty King James. Firstly, you are charged with assault with bodily harm. Secondly, you are charged with willful neglect of an adult. Third, you are charged with unlawful restraint. Fourth, you are charged with civil disobedience in that you did not obey the words of His Majesty the Consort, who as you know holds a far higher rank than you and who commands absolute respect. Finally, you are charged with treason, for you did these acts against the wills of Their Majesties and on behalf of another sovereign. His Majesty King James will now decree your fates.”

James stood from his throne and nodded his thanks to his right-hand man. The King normally would give such decrees while sitting but considering this was regarding his husband and the two ex-attendants before him were such disgraceful people, the King was making a point by making himself even larger and taller than they were by standing.

“By my Decree, as King of this nation and Protector of the Realm, Upholder of the Laws, you are banished henceforth. You are to return immediately to the Wilbraham Kingdom. By all rights you should be executed but the Consort has extended mercy to you both, which I suggest you take wisely. Now, the guards will escort you to the castle gate where there is transportation to the border for you. After you reach the border between our countries you are on your own. Now begone from my sight.” 

The two still looked like they wanted to say something, but the guards dragged them off, not bothering to be gentle about it.

King James motioned for a messenger to take down a note.

“Please inform their Majesties of the Wilbraham Kingdom that the attendants sent with the now-King Consort are no longer required here and that they are being sent back.”

The messenger scribbled down the note and ran off to make sure it was properly written out and sent off. 

James let out something resembling a sigh and turned to Alec.

“And let that be the end of their meddling,” he said. “My husband shouldn’t have to keep living under their thumb and his new life doesn’t need wrongful interference.”

“I believe the only interference he might need is to be saved from your kids,” Alec replied with a grin. “You know neither party is all that comfortable yet. I bet Amelia has her hands full trying to keep the kiddos from causing mayhem.”

“Shall we go see how they are all doing? It is a bit concerning, as the twins are at that age and there’s all this newness going on…and that was the last large matter for the day to deal with, so we are free to make sure my children aren’t causing any grief for my new husband.”

James dismissed the court and he and Alec made their way from the hall, looking for where the rest of James’s family was. 

-

Quinn didn’t know how it had all worked out with the attendants, but he was more focused on the issue at hand.

Rosalind and Oliver really weren’t sure what to make of the man who was spending time with them that morning. They were rather clingy to Amelia, a familiar presence and Quinn felt a bit out of his element, considering he didn’t have much experience with toddlers.

They were in the library in the children’s corner, Amelia doing her best to coax the young children to participate in their usual activities of looking at picture books and coloring with crayons.

“Perhaps this was a bad idea without His Majesty here,” Quinn said after several minutes of tense silence – a rarity considering the twins tended to be a bit noisy. 

“Perhaps, though I think even with him here the children would be a bit confused,” Amelia replied with a kind smile. “At this age they aren’t going to deal well with the unfamiliar, but like anyone in this situation they will learn and get past the anxiety. They are actually handling this well, no tantrums yet from either.” 

Oliver had even started poking with a crayon halfheartedly at one of the coloring books, though he kept looking up at Quinn to see if the strange man was still there.

Rosalind wasn’t as keen as her brother to try and start coloring. She was clinging rather tightly to Amelia, and in fact seemed rather intent on staying in her lap.

“Pick up a crayon and try coloring a bit in one of the books,” Amelia suggested to Quinn. “They might warm up a bit more if they see you doing something they like.” 

“It wouldn’t hurt, I suppose,” the Consort agreed with a sigh. He moved one of the unused books over closer to himself and picked up a crayon, pressing it to the paper and starting to color in a flower.

He’d not done something like this since he was a child himself. Many lonely days had been spent with books, crayons and paper. 

Oliver stopped what he was doing to intently watch what Quinn was doing, frowning in contemplation as he watched the Consort color a flower in a blue shade. 

This clearly ended up being the wrong color in the mind of the toddler and he seemed to get over his initial wariness and shyness as he shoved a red crayon at Quinn.

“Red!” he insisted, pouting to further make a point. Clearly the flower was supposed to be this color and not the blue that Quinn was making it.

The Consort blinked at the child and Amelia chuckled softly, Rosalind still quite happy in her lap. The little Princess didn’t seem to be adjusting as fast as Oliver was to the matter of Quinn still being something of a stranger. 

By the time James and Alec found the little group in the library, Oliver was bossing Quinn around, making sure that the King Consort was using the right colors on the page he was coloring. 

The sky wasn’t actually green in real life, but it clearly was the right color according to the young Prince. Flowers were supposed to be red and grass was purple. The one flower that had been colored blue partially was also now partially red and purple (Oliver hadn’t been too thrilled that the blue hadn’t been entirely vanished and had been even less thrilled that red and blue had made purple). 

Rosalind was just watching and staying put, though she brightened up at the sight of James, a smile lighting up her face as he scooped her up from her spot in Amelia’s lap.

“Not too much trouble, I hope?” the King asked.

“It took a bit,” Amelia replied. “Oliver immediately took issue to His Majesty the Consort coloring a flower blue and that seems to have broken the ice between them at least. Rosalind hasn’t warmed up yet.” 

“Well, perhaps Rosie will come around soon,” James replied as his daughter cuddled against him. “I know it takes her a bit more to warm up to people she’s not familiar with.” 

Alec meanwhile was watching the Prince and the Consort with amusement – clearly Quinn had quickly learned that fighting a two-year-old about proper colors was a battle he wouldn’t win and had caved to being bossed around to finishing the page in the coloring book.

It was a partial victory at least and the adults hoped that Rosalind would soon follow in her brother’s footsteps and be more comfortable with Quinn.


	17. Chapter 16

Since the attendants had been sent away, Quinn had had to deal with another large adjustment in his life. 

He’d been so used to the two men keeping him in iron and keeping him under his mother’s harsh hand, despite the fact that he was part of the Bond family now.

The young man had grown used to the abuse and now that it was gone, he wasn’t entirely sure how to adjust to it.

The two new attendants were kind and they listened to him. They didn’t force the issue of iron and made sure he was taken care of. They didn’t whisper amongst themselves about evil ideals and they were certainly of a happier demeanor. 

Quinn still wasn’t sure about not wearing any iron, however. His memories of childhood were hazy, probably due to how being caught using magic had started the ball rolling on a miserable existence. He’d probably blocked those memories just to keep himself sane.

While he wasn’t wearing the bands anymore that he’d come with, Quinn instead wore a ring. He hadn’t tried to use his magic yet – the words his old attendants had spoken to him still etched deep in his heart. 

What if his magic was the dangerous kind? He couldn’t forgive himself if he would hurt James or the children – especially the children. 

To his credit, James was letting Quinn take his time and figure out the whole magic thing on his own. The King wasn’t pressuring his husband one way or another and had made it clear that no one else was going to pressure Quinn – the Consort had been made aware of how magic was welcome in the kingdom and that it would be his decision on what to do about it.

A breakthrough had been made regarding Rosalind’s initial wariness of Quinn – the Consort just had to participate in a picnic in the gardens to apparently get in her good graces. 

Picnics – when the weather was nice – had become something of a regular and Quinn had to admit that the fresh air and sunshine was rather nice. 

Things were looking up for the Consort and he could only hope that things would continue to improve. There was clearly a lot of missed living that he needed to make up for.

-

One of the best things that the King had done was introduce Quinn to the resident scientist/inventor. 

Boothroyd was certainly advanced in age, but he was a spry gentleman with an enthusiasm for inventing and tinkering with gadgetry that was somehow oddly endearing. 

The man wasn’t quite at genius level, but he certainly had enough brains and whit to keep the Consort engaged. 

It had been a passing thing – Quinn admitting an interest in gadgets that had Bond thinking that perhaps introducing the two would be a good thing. Boothroyd wasn’t seen much around the palace – too busy in his workshop in the back of the palace grounds and the King felt that perhaps Quinn needed a friend close to his intelligence level.

It would help Quinn out as well, to see what Boothroyd was working on – though James had made the man promise to not bring out anything too dangerous, as it wouldn’t really be good for Quinn to be hurt (or worse) by the inventor. 

Boothroyd designed things that helped in a multitude of ways – a system to more efficiently process sea-salt (a large export for the country), new sealants for ships that lasted longer against the effects of sea winds and rough seas, as well as of course weaponry for the military. These were just a few examples of what he’d done over the years for the kingdom.

The elderly man loved to talk and Quinn turned out to be a great listener – the young man soaked up information like a sponge and seemed delighted that he was allowed to tinker with (non-dangerous) things in the workshop to learn more about how mechanics worked. 

Quinn visited when he wasn’t attending to royal duties or continuing to spend time with the children. 

It was the tinkering and examination of machinery and gear works that had shadowy memories surfacing in the back of the Consort’s mind. Something about all this was oddly and comfortingly familiar and he wondered if it was a repressed memory about his magic in particular or if it had been a hobby rather discouraged by his mother. 

The Consort didn’t try to keep the memories suppressed, hoping that by letting them free that he would fill in the gaps of his childhood. 

Whether this was a good or bad thing to do, he would just have to find out for himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter just to move things along...I have the big reveal of Quinn's magic figured out but I just need to get it fitted into the right place in the story...


	18. Chapter 17

King James was pleased to see Quinn slowly blossoming in the coming weeks. The Consort seemed to have shed the heavy weight of repressed magic from his shoulders and though he still chose to wear iron – in the less awful form of a ring on a finger – one could see that he was improving both physically and mentally. His eyes were brighter, and his appearance was improving from sickly to filled out. 

The Consort was thriving with being free of his attendants – able to do what he wanted without worrying about physical restraint or emotional/verbal abuse.

Quinn clearly had leanings to the more educational things and took a large interest in the schooling system of the Kingdom. Education was important to the royals of the Bond Kingdom and they strove to make it something that everyone – regardless of class – could gain access to. 

The Consort was also very vested in automation and working with Boothroyd to improve existing technology, infrastructure and making sure that improvements wouldn’t affect people’s jobs too aversely. 

The King was becoming more pleased about agreeing to the marriage, seeing how Quinn was doing and how much of a benefit his genius was to the Bond Kingdom.

The twins as well were starting to realize that Quinn was a permanent fixture in their lives and that he was their second Papa. Since James was the one they called by that designation, Quinn had become Dada – or if they were really excited and wanted his attention immediately about something, just one long drawn out Da. 

James had yet to ask Quinn about his magic – and had implored others to not push about it as well. It was clearly a sore topic, not to mention that Quinn himself didn’t really know what he could do.

James was sure that the Consort’s magic would reveal itself in due time, when it was the right moment.

-

That moment would come in a rather unexpected way, almost half a year after Quinn’s arrival to the Kingdom.

It had started with a normal morning and found the Consort walking down one of the hallways of the palace, heading from the library to one of the larger studies. King James and himself were going to be meeting with the military heads regarding some rather unsavory news coming from the far east. 

Silva, the notorious and bit-mad ruler of one of the most ruthless and poor countries on the continent was potentially stirring up some trouble, as he was wont to do on occasion. It never led to anything serious – though mad, the man knew his limits despite pushing them sometimes. He liked the attention that it brought him – tempered his ego and need for acknowledgement, at least for a little while. 

Silva liked pretty things and had no qualms about doing away with things once they weren’t pretty anymore – he’d gone through several wives and concubines over the years. 

He lived the highlife while his people didn’t – unless they were employed as his bodyguards/in his military. 

This far to the west, King James wasn’t overly worried, but it didn’t hurt anything to be prepared incase Silva took an interest in stirring up trouble on this side of the continent.

Quinn was alone in the hall, though there were a couple guards at either end. Above him beams crisscrossed below the high ceiling, with banners hanging down and the walls were lined with large windows and rows of armored knight statues standing proudly, bearing ornamental spears and shields. 

It was well-lit, aside from the shadows up in the rafters. 

The castle was well-guarded, but there was still only so much that could be done to prevent intruders – especially if they were the type who specialized in sneaking around and getting into places they shouldn’t necessarily be.

The hall happened to be a long one – one of those that branched from one side of the palace to another, connecting far wings with each other. 

Quinn’s only warning that perhaps something was amiss was when he heard the guards on the side he’d just left give a shout of alarm – clearly spotting something in the hall that shouldn’t be there.

The Consort spun around, eyes going wide at the sight. 

A figure clothed all in black had just dropped from the rafters above. They were about half-way between Quinn and the alarmed guards, crouched and with a hand holding a small dagger.

The figures face was entirely wrapped aside from their eyes, which were dark and glinting with an unholy combination of murder and mischief. 

When the figure moved into a position indicating that they were about to make another move, Quinn felt instinct kick in.

The Consort inwardly knew it was perhaps a bad idea to turn his back on a potential assassin, but the flight-or-fight response was currently in control.

The guards were running in from both sides as Quinn moved to flee, though the hall seemed stupidly long, and Quinn had the feeling they wouldn’t get to him in time.

The young man heard the shrouded figure laughing, the sound dark with a touch of madness and evil.

Quinn made the mistake of looking behind him.

The shrouded man was still just standing there, seemingly unconcerned with the guards heading in his direction. 

Quinn’s feet made the lovely mistake of getting caught up in each other and the Consort let out a yelp as he tumbled onto the richly carpeted floor. 

“Your Majesty!” a guard shouted, clearly further alarmed that Quinn had fallen – the guards not sure if he’d tripped or been hit by the shrouded figure.

The laughter increased and then the man was moving, footsteps making little noise on the floor as he moved forward, dagger held at the ready. 

He clearly meant business and Quinn thought for a moment that this was a rather bothersome way to go.

As the man approached and fear took hold, Quinn was unaware of himself removing the iron ring on his finger and letting it fall to the floor.

Magic swirled through his veins, spilling out in gold sparks from his fingers. 

There was a brilliant flash of gold light.

-

King James had not anticipated that his soon-to-start-meeting would be interrupted with the news that there was a strange person in the Sunwalk Hallway – named for the amount of sun that came in through the windows – and that His Majesty the King Consort was there as well and no one was sure of his condition.

Alec joined James in quickly moving from the large study to the Sunwalk Hallway. James was giving no thought to his own safety at the moment, more worried about what had happened to Quinn and also wondering who had penetrated the safety of his home. 

Guards were sent to where the children were, just in case there was more than one assailant. 

“Heads are going to roll if anything has happened to my husband,” James growled to Alec. “I’ve gone through enough loss already and I’m not losing Quinn this quickly!”

Alec said nothing but loosened the bindings on his iron gauntlets, ready to unleash his own magic should the need arise. 

The Sunwalk Hallway was the sight of much chaos and the chaos itself ground James, Alec and the additional guards to a halt, none of them entirely sure just what they were looking at.

“Your Majesty!” one of the hallway guards gasped upon seeing the King. “The Consort – The Consort did this! We – we think he’s alive but –”

The sight before him was bewildering and worrying – he couldn’t see Quinn. He also couldn’t see the shrouded figure and the guards seemed uncertain of how to proceed themselves.

Before their eyes the great knight statues were no longer on their platforms along the sides of the hallway. 

Some of the statues were standing in a tight circle, closed ranks around who they could only assume was the Consort – shields and swords up at the ready.

Others were surrounding something – King James assumed the assailant – shields up and weapons all pointing inward, keeping the intruder surrounded. 

The rest were clearly moving – something that shouldn’t be possible – pacing in protective patterns around their brethren, on guard and ready to strike or defend if the moment called for it.

Alec summed it up best, when he’d gotten over the shock enough to speak.

“What the Hell?!”


	19. Chapter 18

The immediate pressing issue was how to get to where the King Consort presumably was. 

The problem with this was that the former statues were apparently regarding anyone who wasn’t Quinn as a potential threat – perhaps a trigger from probably fear or panic considering the assassin. 

Whenever a guard approached, the ones guarding the Consort raised their shields and weapons in a slightly threatening manner. 

The former statues pacing and keeping the assassin in place seemed to have no issues regarding the guards and the evilly cackling assassin was rounded up rather seamlessly, the man not really putting up anything of a fight.

“Oh ho, King Bond has a pretty one!” the man crowed. “My Lord and Master Silva will be quite interested in this discovery!”

Considering the man was about to be imprisoned deep in the dungeons and probably later executed for what seemed to be an assassination attempt, one had to wonder just how Silva would even find out such things from him.

James and Alec both frowned at this indication that Silva was perhaps making rather bold moves – even for him.

However, their immediate attention was getting to Quinn and the conundrum of the former statues standing guard a bit too well.

“Quinn?” James called out once the assassin was led away. “Are you able to hear me? We can’t get to you – you have some rather impressive bodyguards who are a bit in the way…”

“J-James?” came the rather timid and frightened sounding response from within the remaining grouping of former knight statues. The ones that had been guarding the assassin were standing around at attention, clearly waiting for some kind of command from Quinn. 

“Quinn, can you possibly direct them? They try to attack if we get too close to you.” 

The King Consort made some kind of noise that was either the young man on the verge of a panic attack or a sign of uncertainty about the amount of control he had with his magic. Possibly a mixture of both.

“Just try to think of pulling your magic back to you,” the King instructed. “Visualize something like pulling on a rope that’s attached to you? We can always position them back to where they need to be once your magic isn’t holding on anymore.”

At least, he was assuming that Quinn had a hold on the magic that was currently possessing the former statues. 

They would be in quite the bind if that wasn’t the case.

One by one the statues began to falter and then freeze in their positions, the golden glow of Quinn’s magic that had been surrounding them fading as the King Consort began to regain control over what he’d done.

As the statues turned back to normal, James signaled for the guards to move forward.

“Just move them away from the Consort,” he instructed as he and Alec went to see how Quinn was fairing. “Quinn? You did it, you’ve made them stop. It’s alright – whoever that man was isn’t here now, he can’t hurt you.”

Poor Quinn was sitting on the floor amidst the now normal statues, quivering and looking rather frightened. His hands were no longer sparking with magic, but the Consort looked lost. He was probably thinking the worst regarding his magic – uncontrolled and considering what he’d just done with it, potentially dangerous. Things that he had been told over and over to him by the wretched family he’d left behind when he’d married James.

Alec stood back while James knelt beside his husband, gathering the shaking form into his arms. The King noticed the other’s iron ring on the floor and picked it up, handing it back to the Consort and watching the quivering lessen as Quinn slipped it onto his finger.

There was nothing to be said at this moment, Quinn clearly upset and James not wanting to push him over the edge into a panic attack. 

As James lifted his husband to take him somewhere more private where he could calm down away from an audience, Quinn turned his head to hide his face against the King. 

It broke James’s heart to feel the dampness of tears, silently being shed by his terrified husband, soaking through the cloth of his shirt. 

-

The King and his Consort ended up in the King’s quarters, Alec staying in the entrance room while the two retired to the inner chambers. Quinn still slept in his own quarters but wasn’t a stranger to the King’s chambers. 

James didn’t ask Quinn to speak, settling with his husband on the bed and just holding him, letting Quinn calm down on his own terms and at his own speed. The King ran a hand through the dark curls of Quinn’s hair as the tears and quivering gradually subsided. 

It was certainly scary, to suddenly unleash such a magic that made inanimate objects come to life and to not know enough about one’s own magic to be able to control it.

Perhaps, if Quinn was feeling up to such things, James would give him lessons and help him learn more about his magic abilities. 

James didn’t like seeing his husband so frightened – especially by something of his own doing. 

He could only imagine what was going through Quinn’s mind at this time, considering the way the other was brought up by a very hurtful, anti-magic family.

The King knew it would probably take some work (and a lot of patience) to get Quinn feeling comfortable about what he could do – and perhaps gaining better control and understanding would help. 

But that would come later – Quinn’s state was currently too fragile for him to consider bringing it up at this time. The Consort just needed comfort and James was quite happy to provide it to him.

The two weren’t all that affectionate with one another – still in the early stage and considering everything, perhaps they wouldn’t fall in love. Perhaps they would. Time would only tell.

This was probably the most intimate they had been – with Quinn curled up in James’s embrace as the other comforted him, trying to help the shaking stop.

James could only imagine how frightened Quinn must be – not knowing the full extent of his magic and always being warned about how dangerous he was – and now this?

Quinn probably thought that he was a ticking time bomb. Considering the knight statues had in fact been dangerous once mobile probably had not helped matters. Quinn’s lack of control had only made it worse and James was just thankful that nothing too horrible had happened. 

He would have to see what the assassin had to say – or if assassination had even been his goal. Considering the man was apparently one of those belonging to Silva, perhaps he was just a strange (and scary) messenger – a sign for them to stay alert as Silva plotted and provoked.

For now, however, he would stay here, where he was more strongly needed.

There would be time for everything else later – James was going to be a good husband first.


	20. Chapter 19

The days following Quinn’s demonstration of magic were strange. The assassin confirmed that he wasn’t actually there to kill anyone but couldn’t resist taking a proverbial stab at the King Consort. The assassin was employed by Silva and seemed to be bordering on the same madness that gripped his Master. Though in this case, perhaps assassin was the wrong word to use when really he was just doing a bit of odd spying.

Execution was of course carried out when they had gotten all they could from the man. The decision had been made that it was unsafe to leave the man alive – especially since he continued to say that Silva would know what he had seen. It raised the question of what exactly Silva was trying to accomplish – and if he’d done this with any other nations on the continent. It also raised the question on if Silva had some dark magic of his own or kept someone with some in his employ. 

King James sent out inquiries to neighbors and beyond, wanting to be proactive in fending off Silva’s provocations. 

The other matter was of course dealing with the King Consort himself. 

Quinn had been (rightfully) frightened by his magic ability. It wasn’t surprising to anyone that he was now rather fearful of unleashing it again – considering the statues had been willing to go after anyone approaching him – and that he would end up hurting someone innocent by his own hand.

The young man especially didn’t want to end up hurting the children. They were the future of the Kingdom after all and Quinn had broken James’s heart when he’d made the small suggestion that maybe he should wear heavy iron bands again following the incident.

The King understood that Quinn wasn’t thinking clearly following the episode and had simply held his broken down husband, trying to think of what he could do to help him.

Certainly, lessons on controlling and learning about what exactly his magic did would help Quinn, but the Consort at the moment seemed to not want to even try doing anything again. 

The innocent play the Consort had done as a child where he had uncovered his magic – James wished that it had been something like that that had happened. He’d wanted a gentler reemergence of Quinn’s magic, not the incident that probably had seared the thoughts into the Consort’s mind that he was exactly what the Wilbraham family had drilled into him for many years.

James couldn’t even begin to imagine what toxic thoughts now ravaged Quinn’s mind. All he could do for now was soothe his husband and try and be his strength, until the younger man was ready to face things himself.

-

The children didn’t understand why Dada didn’t want to spend much time with them anymore. For the toddlers, the explanation that he wasn’t feeling well only went so far for their clever minds. 

With the stress and gloom descending upon the palace, King James thought that perhaps a change of scenery would help everyone. 

It was about time to head for the summer residence anyway, but an effort was put in place to start the residency a little earlier than scheduled.

-

The seaside castle was smaller than the capital palace. The grounds were less expansive, but it did have a path leading down to a private cove and beach. It was all well-guarded so that no one could just stumble onto the beach. The castle was white stone with large windows to allow for plenty of sunlight and certain windows opened up to allow for the sea breeze to flow through the summer palace. 

The decorations inside were nice but not on the grandiose scale of the capital palace. Blue, white and seafoam were the primary colors of decoration and fabrics were light and airy, fitting for the warm sea breezes. 

The journey was half a day from the capital city and the twins were beyond excited. They liked new things and after seeing all the picture books about the ocean, were excited to be getting to see it themselves.

Quinn was quiet on the journey, looking out the window of the carriage, though it was uncertain if he was really seeing anything or just somewhere in his mind.

James didn’t try to engage with his husband, uncertain of what he would even say or if Quinn would be all that responsive to anything at the moment. 

He instead read a book and hoped that this summer residency would lift Quinn’s spirits in some way.

-

The royal family ventured together down to the private cove and beach the morning after their arrival, Amelia along to help keep the children in check. Both were excited about getting to be outside with no shoes on as usually they weren’t allowed to go out without shoes on.

Quinn settled himself on a chair beneath an umbrella and didn’t join the others as James and Amelia held the children’s hands and let them close enough to the water to let the gentle waves lap at their toes.

Giggles and squeals rang out in the otherwise quiet air and the fun of waves was quickly overtaken by the task of finding shells and looking into tide pools in the rocks to see if there was anything inside of them.

James wanted to ask Quinn to join him but truthfully it was enough – for now – that Quinn had even joined them on the outing, even if he was just staying under an umbrella. 

Exploring soon turned to showing the twins how to pile sand up with their hands and pat it into something resembling a castle. James even used a little bit of his water magic to guide water into helping shape the wet sand and create a moat around it – the twins absolutely delighted in watching their Papa manipulate the water. 

Both twins protested quite a bit when it was time to go in – they needed to wash up and have some lunch – though tantrums were avoided when their Papa promised them that they could come back later. 

Quinn remained quiet as the family and Amelia headed back inside and James found himself missing the person that Quinn had started to become before this magic fiasco.


	21. Chapter 20

Quinn curled up in the window seat of the small library that the summer palace held. It was approaching the end of the day and yet he couldn’t bring himself to proceed to dinner or to bed.

The Consort knew that James was trying very hard to do right by him, following the incident with his magic. 

He knew that he would have to face his fears with his magic at some point, but the fear and the memories of what his family had done to him since childhood seemed hard to overcome.

Quinn wanted to be a good stepfather to the twins – especially because they’d grown attached to him right before this had all happened. 

The young man felt that he was being a poor husband, but he was struggling to overcome. Quinn knew he’d come so far since the wedding had been finalized and he’d taken a rather big step backward.

He knew that James had moved them here earlier than planned to try and help him out. Quinn was very happy to finally see the sea and smell the salty air – but he couldn’t bring himself out of the funk he was in to properly show this excitement. 

The Consort knew that the twins were upset and that in turn this was making James more unhappy with the current situation. 

Quinn didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know when he would feel better and be able to properly be himself again.

-

King James couldn’t sleep. 

His husband, King Consort Quinn, worried him. 

The young man wasn’t dealing well with his own demons following the magic incident and the early move to the summer palace hadn’t seemed to have helped in any way.

The Consort was currently not in bed. James wasn’t sure where he was, if he was being honest. He had spent the day with the children and hadn’t seen Quinn. 

Quinn hadn’t been in the room when he’d come to settle for the night and as moonlight fell in the window, Quinn had yet to appear. 

Perhaps his husband was using one of the other bedrooms. 

James knew what great sadness was – he’d felt it with his first two wives, certainly. It had been hard to pull out of the darkness and he knew there were still some tiny remnants that haunted him to this day.

What had pulled him out was his loyalty to his kingdom – he knew his people needed a strong King and he had found perhaps too much solace in drink, though he had made sure it hadn’t affected his abilities as a ruler to do what needed to be done.

He’d still had a drinking problem when he’d married Madeleine – still a bitter man facing his demons in a rather unhealthy way.

It had been the birth of his children that had pulled him out of being a drunkard. What kind of example was he setting for them, with this behavior? He still enjoyed a good drink, but long gone were the days where he would attempt to kill his liver with too much alcohol. 

The problem was that he didn’t know a good way to help Quinn out of his own darkness. 

Quinn hadn’t joined them for dinner, so the King was also concerned that his husband wasn’t eating well again. The younger man was already too thin – though he had improved – and James didn’t want to see Quinn wasting away again.

The King sighed and moved to leave the bed, knowing it was pointless for him to stay put and try to sleep. 

King James left his quarters, drawing a dressing gown about his frame to ward off the slight chill of the night’s air.

James pondered where Quinn might be, thinking on where in the summer palace his husband might perhaps be.

He would certainly check the rooms that were unoccupied and then perhaps the library as well, even if it was much smaller than the one at the capital palace.

The halls were quite something late at night – with everyone asleep aside from the occasional night guard and all the lights off, aside from the moonlight coming through windows. 

It was almost spooky, passing shadows and decor cloaked in darkness to create new and twisted appearances.

The unoccupied bedrooms in the sleeping hall were just that – unoccupied. There were no signs that Quinn was using one and no signs of the young man himself.

The kitchen and dining room were also empty and quiet for the night. 

James continued his search, wondering if he would have to look outside as well.

He could certainly ask the night guards for help, but he didn’t want anyone to be woken to look for Quinn until he was certain that the King Consort was actually missing.

The library was the next stop after the kitchen and James breathed a small sigh of relief when he saw a familiar form on the window seat of the window in the room.

Quinn was asleep, curled up and resting against the cool panes of glass that made up the window. 

James was loathe to wake him, but the window certainly wasn’t the best place to get a good night’s sleep.

The King carefully lifted the slumbering Consort into his arms, doing his best to not wake Quinn. The younger man didn’t stir, at least in deep enough sleep to not be bothered by James carrying him.

The return to the bedroom was uninterrupted and James frowned slightly at the slight chill to Quinn’s skin as he tucked his husband into bed. 

Shedding the dressing gown onto a nearby chair, James settled into bed himself. The King could feel sleep creeping up on him now and wondered if it was perhaps due to knowing that Quinn was now safe in bed beside him.

Slumber claimed the King and with Quinn asleep beside him, James was finally able to rest.


	22. Chapter 21

James wasn’t surprised when one night of bringing his husband to bed to sleep properly turned into multiple nights.

It seemed Quinn was developing a habit of sleeping in the library, leaning against the cool glass of the window, no matter how uncomfortable it seemed.

The King Consort never stirred when James carried him, and it was rare that Quinn was still in bed when James would wake the next morning.

The King wasn’t that much of a light sleeper, so it surprised him that his husband could just stealthily leave without him realizing. 

Then came the night that Quinn wasn’t in the library when James went to look for him.

-

The King had to admit that he’d gotten into somewhat of a routine.

First it would be being unable to sleep, troubled by the sadness that gripped his husband. 

Then he would leave his bedchamber and search the palace – though he’d gotten to the point where he just went straight for the library. 

The King Consort would always be asleep in the same spot and he would never stir when James carried him to bed so that he would sleep comfortably. 

Every morning James would wake to find Quinn’s side of the bed cold and empty; the Consort clearly having left some time ago.

But tonight seemed to be different.

For one thing, Quinn wasn’t in the library and James wasn’t entirely sure where exactly he was. A search through the palace had turned up no trace and the King had half a mind to rouse the guards for a full-out search.

There was still one place to look however, and if Quinn wasn’t there then the King would raise the alarm – though he would insist it be done quietly so as not to disturb the children. No need for them to be frightened.

The path to the beach was quiet – lit only by the light of the moon. There were lanterns lining the path, but they were not lit as no one had been expected to be out at night.

The sound of the sea drew closer and James listened to the quiet noise of waves hitting the shore – strangely eerie without the daytime sounds of birds overhead.

He couldn’t see the guards posted around the area, but he knew they were there – silently watching – and he knew they would spring into action should anything be truly wrong. 

James thought he must be a sight – in his pajamas and dressing gown, heading for the beach.

The cove was quiet and there was a brief moment when the King thought that perhaps he was the only one around.

The chairs beneath the umbrella were empty and he didn’t see Quinn along the shoreline.

It was in the rocky outcropping, where the tidepools were, that he found the Consort.

Quinn was sitting with his knees drawn up to his chest, chin resting atop them. The younger man was staring out at the dark water that stretched out far beyond the cove and James wondered if Quinn was really seeing it or if he was lost in thoughts somewhere.

The King approached his husband, doing his best to not spook the other. The rocks felt slightly jagged and rough beneath his bare feet and he wasn’t entirely sure it was a good idea to be barefoot on them while it was so dark out.

Carefully, making sure he didn’t make a fool of himself and slip while doing so, James sat down next to Quinn. He was close enough that he could see the other in the moonlight yet still a respectable distance away.

Neither one said anything for a while. 

“I’m sorry, all these nights I’ve done nothing but cause you grief,” the Consort spoke after a while, his voice quiet and yet loud enough to carry over the sound of the waves. “You have cared for me, yet I am unable to return the favor.” 

“I do not ask for you to do so,” James replied. “I know you are battling something dark and if I can provide you any comfort, then I am happy to. I would be a poor husband if I were to not care about your wellbeing.”

“I haven’t been able to sleep well, since that day. My mind keeps telling me that I will hurt you or the children. I don’t know why I keep ending up in the library – I suppose books have always been comforting to me.” 

“I’m not going to pressure you about your magic,” James murmured. “But when you are ready to discuss it or figure out just what you can do with it, I will be here to support you however I am able. But for now, it is late, and I believe we are poorly attired for an evening at the beach.”

This drew something akin to a laugh from Quinn and the Consort allowed James to help him up off the rocks.

If the two walked hand in hand back to the palace and to James’s bed to sleep, there was no one but the moon and the night guards – who would never say anything – to witness.


	23. Chapter 22

King James wanted to say that Quinn improved quickly from that night that he’d found the Consort on the beach, but that of course, would be a lie. 

The younger man was still rather withdrawn and while perhaps James had soothed him a little that night, there were still demons weighing him down. 

A change had been made however, that the King would certainly count as a positive step towards his husband feeling better.

Since that night on the beach, where James had reassured Quinn of his support, the Consort had been sharing a bed with the King by choice – no longer falling asleep in other places for the King to retrieve him from.

The Consort was even still there when James would awake in the mornings, still asleep and looking untroubled by his inner darkness. No longer was Quinn long vanished from the bed when the King awoke. 

It seemed that the younger man was sleeping better now and James himself was certainly more at ease with Quinn beside him.

James liked the watch Quinn in the mornings. He liked to watch the sunlight filter in and cast its warmth on his husband – though it was never enough light to cause Quinn to wake up, as the sheer curtains filtered it as it spilled through the window panes.

James found that he enjoyed the look on Quinn’s face as he slumbered – the shadows hanging over him abated for the moment – and the King hated it when the shadows drifted back in once Quinn was awake. At least while in sleep, Quinn was relaxed and away from his troubles.

It was nice for the King as well, that Quinn was sleeping beside him. James too was benefiting from a healthier sleep, no longer awake late into the night wondering about his husband. 

Having his husband next to him in bed seemed to silence the worries that had been plaguing James’s mind. 

Following that night at the cove, dressed unprepared and sitting on the rocks together, there was a new sense of closeness between the two royals. While still uncertain about the level of affection between the two men, there was something that had changed between them. 

Here in the summer home, while the King and his Consort would still carry out duties, the pace and scheduling of the days was far more relaxed than at the capital palace. They still had a daily time for hearing concerns from the people – but it was now scheduled for the afternoon. Meetings were sparse and there was a calmer atmosphere.

There was of course the issue of Silva’s games still lingering – but even that wasn’t the main concern when at the summer palace.

It wasn’t a true vacation – a royal never got to enjoy such a thing as 100% removal from duties, so to speak – but it was still a far cry from the general busy days that filled life in the capital.

James liked the mornings with Quinn at his side – watching the younger slumber and then being there as Quinn began to wake.

The younger male had seemed rather shy the first time he’d noticed James watching him – making a noise of sleepy befuddlement and slight embarrassment and trying to shift to hide his face in a pillow.

Quinn wasn’t entirely a morning person and it took nearly a pot of fresh hot tea to get him going.

James liked finding out this fact about his husband as well – they had spent their days in the capital in separate sleeping quarters, after all. 

He liked that now they took breakfast together in their room, with Quinn grumpy and half-asleep while they ate. James wasn’t much for tea and preferred a dark coffee. He was more styled to mornings and would read through the daily correspondences and morning reports while Quinn would grumble his way through many cups of tea and whatever breakfast food offerings there were for the day.

Breakfast would be followed by getting ready for the day – Quinn back in his own quarters with his own attendants for this (he wasn’t comfortable sharing space yet with his husband for things like dressing). 

The two royals would meet up again while making their way to the children, a quiet short walk that they both enjoyed. Conversation was rare and neither generally spoke until they were within the children’s quarters, greeting the twins and Amelia.

Oliver was always the first to dart over, full of more energy than his sister – though it never took long for Rosie to follow. Both twins still preferred James over Quinn, though they were happy with their Dada – Papa was just better. 

With nothing pressing for the mornings and meetings and such in the afternoons, this meant that James got to spend more quality time with his children, something that wasn’t as often as he liked back in the capital.

Quinn had come to enjoy the time as well, learning more about his stepchildren and developing better bonds with the two little ones. They’d taken to liking him better for things like arts and crafts, clearly finding Papa lacking in this department while Dada apparently had a talent for it – at least by the twin’s standards. 

Papa was still the go-to however for stories, as he could do the best voices while they had discovered rather quickly that Quinn wasn’t very good at this. 

James liked these mornings, where he could spend time with those dearest to him. He liked that they were generally uninterrupted, and he could focus on something other than running his kingdom, though that was always in the back of his mind and always something he would be thinking about.

Quinn liked the normalness of it all, of getting to become more integrated in the family. He liked that James didn’t mind that he wasn’t a morning person and he liked how he could wake up more on his own schedule – and after copious amounts of tea, of course. 

The Consort found it interesting that James had taken such an interest in watching him sleep. He supposed that he had worried the older man and perhaps the King was taking solace in the fact that Quinn now slumbered easier.

That night at the cove had been a changing point for the two of them, though the Consort was uncertain as to what exactly that change had been – although he found himself with more fondness for his husband, something he wasn’t sure he would feel, all things considering.

The King radiated safety – something that the Consort found rather refreshing considering his upbringing in the Wilbraham Kingdom. He had never felt safe until his marriage to King James Bond and even then, true feelings of safety had never set in fully. It had especially gone downhill with the night his magic reemerged and Quinn had wondered if he’d ever feel that sense again.

James’s quiet reassurances on that night in the cove had given a new sensation of safety that Quinn was rather thankful for. 

He still wasn’t ready to tackle the underlying issues with his magic, nor was he ready to try and find out just what he could do with his abilities. 

But at least here, with his husband, he knew he could find peace.


	24. Chapter 23

Their final day at the summer palace, James made sure the twins got their fill of the ocean, as they wouldn’t be seeing it again for several months. 

Oliver in particular was fascinated by the tide pools, though Rosie had been rather put off when a baby octopus had crawled over her foot while she was standing near the pool it was making its way to. The little Princess’s wails from the feel of the slimy creature had nearly put James into a state. The King hated seeing his children upset and Rosie clung to him with great enthusiasm following the octopus incident.

The Princess spent the rest of the outing being carried by James, clearly enjoying all the attention that she was getting from Papa. 

Quinn joined them in the cove, checking out the tidepools with Oliver and then holding the toddler’s hand when he wanted to splash in the incoming waves. The Consort still bore some signs of sadness but as their time at the summer palace had gone on, he had come out of his shell just a little and was spending time with the children again (though only if another adult was with them as well – he still didn’t trust himself alone with them). 

It was Rosie who tired out first and James settled with her on one of the chairs under the umbrella, making sure his daughter was comfortable as she napped in his arms. 

Soon after Quinn was carrying over a yawning Oliver, the twins clearly having hit the time of the day where a nap was required.

The two carried the dozing children back to the palace, James rather happy that Quinn was allowing himself to be so close to the children again and that the Consort seemed relaxed as he carried Oliver inside.

There was minimal fussing from the twins as the sand was cleaned off their skin before they were tucked into their beds for naptime. 

The two royals had watched the children for the day, giving Amelia a small break so she could have some time to herself for a few hours – a rare treat that was more than deserved as she was such a good caretaker for Oliver and Rosalind. 

The two royal adults sat in a side room to the children’s quarters so that they could hear if the twins woke up before Amelia returned. 

Sitting on a couch together, James found himself pleasantly surprised when Quinn rested against him, clearly relaxed just enough to take some form of comfort in the gesture. 

It was certainly a big step and the King was happy to just stay still and let Quinn control how this went – not wanting to make his husband feel any sort of discomfort as he worked back to some sense of normalcy for himself.

When Amelia returned to the children’s quarters, having spent a few hours out in the surrounding city pretty much being a tourist, she found the children still asleep and the King watching over his slumbering husband in an adjoining room. 

James just winked at her as he scooped up his husband and carried him off so that Quinn could get a nap himself in a proper bed.

-

The journey back to the capital palace was uneventful – aside from two rather teary toddlers when they were told that they wouldn’t be seeing the ocean for a while. Being as smart as they were, they probably also had the feeling this meant that Papa and Dada were going to be busy again. 

The disappointment was handled in true toddler fashion with both twins declaring that they liked Amelia better anyway and that Papa and Dada weren’t allowed to color with them anymore – never mind the fact that it was just Dada who colored with them and that Papa was who read to them exclusively. 

The adults of course took this in stride, knowing that the twins would soon forget the matter, and all would be well with the little family unit again in no time.

The children pouted for part of the way home, hoarding crayons on their side of the carriage and not letting Papa and Dada use them at all.

James just watched them with fond amusement while Quinn divided his time between a book and watching the scenery going by outside. He idly wished that he could travel more of the country and see more of the Bond Kingdom – but even in a place like this it was unwise for a member of royalty to do such things. 

Especially after the incident with Silva’s assassin, proving that even in the heaviest guarded place, Quinn was not necessarily safe. 

The Consort had spent so many years shut away and inside, that it was no wonder that he longed to experience as much freedom as he could now.

Perhaps they would be able to figure out a way that Quinn could safely be out of the palace grounds so he could learn more about the country he was tasked to help lead. 

It would be nice to see more of the country that had become his home.

-

The twins were over their hoarding of the drawing supplies by the time they were just a few miles from home. At least with Quinn. 

Rosie had decided that Dada wasn’t so bad after all, and he colored things so nicely, so she had handed him a pink crayon in some kind of truce. This was followed up shortly by handing him a coloring book so that he could join in on the fun of making things look pretty and colorful.

Oliver, not to be outdone by his sister – and since she had said Dada was good again – decided to closely supervise what Quinn was coloring and make sure that he was doing a good job of it.

Neither twin seemed to think that Papa was going to be included in such important business, but that was fine with James. He was just happy to see his little family having a good time. He was almost loathe to end the little session but the few remaining miles were quickly winding down and soon it would be time for them to leave the carriage. 

He allowed them to keep going until they reached the palace gates, and then it was time to pack away the coloring books and crayons so that they could disembark as the carriage rolled to a stop.

The twins whined a little but being carried by Papa and Dada into the palace seemed to make up for the little transgression. 

The toddlers were easily appeased (and had short attention spans) though James did expect that they would have a few more unhappy moments related to leaving the sea behind before they were fully settled back in the capital. 

Mostly though he hoped that the progress Quinn had made at the seaside palace would continue to grow now that they were back in the capital. The King was certain that someday, Quinn would drop the shadows from his shoulders. It would perhaps just take some time.

But the King was a patient man and he would continue to let Quinn settle on his own, not forcing the Consort to change too soon. Quinn was healing and while James wanted to see the magic his husband held, he also would be completely understanding if Quinn decided to never unleash it again.

He just hoped that if the Consort did decide to use his magic, that it wouldn’t be during another horrible incident and that it would be of Quinn’s own choosing.


	25. Chapter 24

Magic wasn’t something that was necessarily inherited, so when the twins had been born, there had been no indications on if they would have magic or if they would develop it later in life.

James had first shown his magic abilities around the age of four, while Madeleine, the twin’s mother, had not had any magic in her. James’s parents had had magic, along with his grandfather. 

Quinn was apparently the only one in his family’s history (supposedly) to have magic abilities. 

Magic did generally show up when a child was around the ages of three to four, so if the twins were to show any magic, then they would begin to show any signs theoretically soon.

The problem was, of course, that children were very rambunctious and there was always the concern that a child would hurt themselves purely by accident as they lacked control and were of course, full of curiosity. This was especially true when they were in the toddler stage of life. 

It was a common thing, for their safety, to use iron to help the child out until they were old enough to start taking lessons in their magic. This would be in the form of hair clips or other small non-intrusive additions to clothes that a child wouldn’t be uncomfortable wearing or have a tendency to pull off. A child generally was old enough to start taking magic lessons around the age of five, when they were able to have enough understanding of such matters.

Rosalind, the Crown Princess of the Bond Kingdom, began to display bits of magic as the weather cooled (just slightly) and there was frost in the early mornings. While out on early morning walks for educational purposes for the twins, the little girl had brushed her hands over frost-laden leaves on bushes to feel the coolness and beneath her hands the frost had shifted and swirled into patterns and designs resembling childish scribbles.

The little Princess it seemed, could manipulate and create ice. This was interesting as her father’s magic was water control and creation, so perhaps there was a touch of inherited ability, as the two magics were rather similar.

Oliver, the Crown Prince of the Bond Kingdom, was not far behind his twin sister. The little boy began to show his talents as the same time as Rosalind. His too, displayed when they were out on the morning walks, though it wasn’t the icy frost that obeyed his whims.

For the Crown Prince, it was the plants themselves that seemed to reach out for him after he touched them, seeking out the little hands that had left them. Plant magic was interesting in that in order to harness the creation side, one had to be touching or holding a bit of earth for a plant to sprout from. 

The twins didn’t notice these things, but Amelia took note of them. She wasn’t afraid, knowing that the Bond Kingdom was perhaps one of the best places for the magically inclined to be. 

They had prepared for the event if the children had magic and so Rosie didn’t notice when her hairclips were replaced with iron ones and Oliver didn’t notice the buttons on his clothes being replaced with iron snaps. 

The twins would start instruction on their magic around the age of five, as their father had. James was of course delighted that his children had magic – he of course would have been fine if they didn’t have magic as well – and he made it clear that he was going to teach them himself. His parents had instructed him instead of finding a magic tutor and he wanted to continue that with his own little ones. 

It would be some time still until that, of course, as the twins were not yet five years old. 

-

As the twins hit a new stage of life with the arrival of their magic, Quinn hit a new point in his own.

The Consort had steadfastly worn iron since the incident with the assassin those several months ago. While it wasn’t the heavy and uncomfortable iron bands he had grown up with, he did wear an iron ring on one hand. 

Since then, it had been a slow process of coming back from where he had been, of returning to his true self. He would be forever grateful to James for the patience the King had displayed as he allowed Quinn to work through his inner demons himself. 

Coming back from the seaside palace to the capital palace had also been of benefit. Quinn loved the hours he spent with Boothroyd and that had been missing while they had been away. 

The old man was of course delighted to have the Consort back and the first few days of their return – aside from his duties and spending time with the family – Quinn could be found in the workshop with the inventor, listening as Boothroyd rambled on about all the ideas he’d come up with while the royal family had been away. 

Boothroyd had become something of a Grandfather-ly figure to the young man and gave him another sense of family that he had been missing when he had still been under the control of the Wilbraham family. 

It wasn’t unusual for James to come and retrieve his husband from whatever tall tale Boothroyd was spinning, or whatever invention the Consort and inventor were working on together. 

While perhaps some might think that perhaps the husband of the King should pay more attention to other matters than the mind of an old man, James saw the benefit in allowing Quinn the friendship. 

It had brought nothing but good results – both in terms of helpful inventions to help the kingdom stay prosperous and in helping Quinn come out of his shell.

The King supposed that if anyone other than himself could help Quinn come to terms with his magic, that it would be Boothroyd. 

-

James stood at the entrance to the workshop, leaning against the doorway as he watched his husband and Boothroyd.

The old man was with Quinn at one of the worktables, talking quietly to the young man – though there was clearly excitement on his face.

It was what Quinn was doing that was a bit unexpected to James.

The Consort’s fingers were sparking gold, indicating that he wasn’t wearing his iron ring – and it was in fact lying nearby on the worktable.

The sparks were coalescing around a pile of metal bits and gears on the table, the items coming together as best they could, with golden light filling in the gaps.

A metal clockwork bird was forming, silent but moving as it began hopping around the table, flapping metal wings and making little metallic clanging noises with each bounce. 

James wondered what it was about Boothroyd that had gotten Quinn to give his magic a try. He wondered why Quinn wasn’t worried about hurting the older man. He would have to ask his husband later and find out what had brought about this moment.

But for now, he was going to quietly cherish it, knowing that this moment certainly shouldn’t be taken for granted. 

He watched his husband watch the little mechanical and magical bird and he could see that cracks had been formed in the shell of fear and sadness that had been around the Consort for months now. 

The little bird hopped over to the King Consort and James loved the sight of the smile that appeared on Quinn’s face as the bird clambered up onto the young man’s shoulder and seemed to settle itself in place, as if it were a real bird finding a good place to perch and rest for a while.

Seeing Quinn’s smile and how relaxed he seemed with the creature he had created with his magic, planted a seed of hope within King James that everything was finally starting to be alright again.


	26. Chapter 25

While it had been made obvious before, during the incident with the assassin, that Quinn could affect larger scale objects with his magic, the Consort seemed to be content to stay with small ones. 

The little bird in Boothroyd’s workshop had been the first – and really it was more like Quinn was creating little mechanical creatures. He still had yet to give life to anything that was already existing. 

King James hadn’t made a big scene over seeing Quinn bringing the little clockwork bird to life and for that the Consort was grateful. 

In fact, the King hadn’t really brought it up at all. He just kept going like things were normal, though Quinn suspected that they would talk about it at some point. The younger man was just glad that it wasn’t being treated as something that deserved a lot of attention.

He kept the magic usage to Boothroyd’s workshop – it was away from the rest of the royal family and there wasn’t anything there that Quinn was scared about bringing to life. 

The Consort still kept an iron ring on his finger when he wasn’t getting readjusted to his magic, but the iron was completely his choice.

Quinn was still concerned that he would harm James or the children, so he kept the ring on when he wasn’t in the workshop.

-

It was a quiet evening and Quinn had settled into bed beside James, weariness sinking into his bones as he let himself relax. It had been a busy day of meetings and he hadn’t had much of an opportunity to get some time to himself, much less work with Boothroyd in the workshop.

They were heading into the end of year important things – reviewing everything that had occurred that year and how it had affected the palace holdings. There were important discussions on taxes and if they would be getting raised. Food stores were examined, and the navy underwent a yearly examination as well.

While they were lucky, being on the coast, that winter wouldn’t bring in heavy snows like the landlocked nations dealt with, or the mountainous nations to the north, they still dealt with cooler temperatures and the most eastern parts of the continent did deal with occasional snow. 

The Kingdom of Bond was lucky as well because they could continue with their sea-related jobs and trades. Sea salt could continue to be harvested and fishing would continue as well, though it would shift to catching different kinds of things as fish species were seasonal too.

There were of course winter holidays that were celebrated as well, and the royal family of course took part in ushering them in.

It was a rather busy time for the poor Consort, who suddenly found himself having to take cram sessions on the upcoming holidays and everything else that went on during the winter – more specifically the end of year months. 

It also seemed that this was the season for the seamstresses and tailors in the palace to lose their minds with new fancy clothes for the holiday occasions and the eventual start of the new year. It was also the time of year when clothing was gone through and old was replaced with new. Old clothes were then turned into other things, such as cleaning rags, handkerchiefs and squares for quilts. 

While Quinn had seen some of the end of year, holiday chaos in his old home, he had never been as involved in it as he was now.

“Is it always this bad?” the young man groaned – though it was slightly muffled as he had pretty much face-planted into his pillow. “I had no idea it was all so exhausting…” 

“I’m afraid it is as chaotic as it seems. The end of year is rather important to everyone and for whatever reason has been dubbed the time of the year everything has to be reviewed. With the year ending and a new one on the horizon, it’s supposed to be something of a tradition about new starts or something like that, I believe,” James replied. 

“I don’t remember it being this bad when I was…well, wasn’t here,” Quinn muttered, turning his head so he wasn’t speaking into his pillow. “But then again, I was locked away as you know, so…perhaps it was this bad and I was just lucky enough to miss it.” 

The King hummed an affirmative, thoughtful noise at this and turned back to the book that he had been reading when Quinn joined him in bed.

There was quiet for a few minutes and James thought that perhaps the younger man had drifted off to sleep.

“You haven’t asked me about why I haven’t used my magic around anyone except for Boothroyd,” the Consort murmured. “Why is that?” 

James placed a bookmark in the book he was reading and set it on the nightstand beside the bed. 

“I do have questions,” he admitted after a moment’s pause to collect his thoughts. “But your magic is something I would rather you feel open to bringing up yourself, as you are now. I know it’s been something of a shadow for you to carry around and I didn’t want to bring it up and make you think that I was forcing you in some way to discuss. If Boothroyd and the workshop are where you feel most comfortable with your magic, then that’s fine. As curious as I am, you are your own person and I’m not going to push for an answer if you aren’t ready to give it.”

The Consort made a little noise of surprise, his hazel-green eyes slightly widened as he took in James’s words. 

“When you want to tell me, you can,” James continued. “I can keep my curiosity in check enough to let you be the deciding factor.” 

“There’s small things, in the workshop,” the Consort said after listening to the King. “I’m not – I’m not scared about losing control there because there’s small things. It’s also away from the palace so I don’t have to worry about hurting you or the children. Boothroyd’s been around enough dangerous things that he’s used to hiding at a moment’s notice.” 

James could understand this. He thought it rather sweet that Quinn was so concerned about harming anyone.

“I understand. Starting small with magic is a good idea. I did that when I was little, and I think that’s the starting point for any magic instruction. The big things can come later. I want you to do what you think is comfortable.” 

“Thank you, truly. I know there’s still things to answer about all this but –”

“It’s fine, Quinn. Tell me as much or as little as you want, whenever you feel comfortable doing so. I think I understand a little better now anyway. I just want you happy, that’s all. You’ve been depressed since the incident and it’s worried me more that you haven’t been smiling as much or seeming so free as you had been before it happened. It’s nice to see those shadows going away finally.” 

This drew one of those smiles that James was enjoying getting to see a little more often lately. Like before, those smiles made little bits of warmth spread through his body – a thing he still couldn’t put a finger on. 

James reached over next to him to turn the lamp on his bedside table down and he settled into a more comfortable position to sleep. 

The King looked over at his husband – Quinn had rather quickly fallen asleep after that smile – and the mostly dark sight of the Consort peacefully sleeping was enough to coax James into slumber as well.


	27. Chapter 26

“Keep still!” Eve hissed, grinning as she placed more fabric about Quinn’s person and pinned it. She was having the time of her life getting to monopolize the Consort’s time with trying to decide the colors and fabrics for his winter outfits. 

Namely, the outfits he would be wearing for important winter occasions. Quinn was getting a bit tired standing around being a living mannequin, but he wasn’t much seeking to be poked by a errant pin either.

“I believe I am keeping quite still, Miss Moneypenny,” the Consort snarked back. Despite Eve’s insistence that he didn’t have to be so formal with her name, it didn’t feel quite right to the Consort just yet. 

“Now, as much as I’d love to decorate with you with something nice like velvet, it is unfortunately too warm for that to be in something other than a cape. But more importantly I need to find a good color combination for you. It must compliment the King of course…” 

Eve was clearly in her own little world and hadn’t paid any attention to what Quinn had said.

Quinn just sighed and resigned himself to spending the rest of the day being held hostage by the seamstress. 

-

King James had eventually rescued his poor husband from Eve’s clutches by stealing him away for dinner. Quinn had seemed quite grateful for the escape and Eve pretended to be offended but was honestly done at that point anyway.

“I apologize that there were no convenient mandatory meetings for you to attend today,” the King commented as they seated themselves in one of the smaller dining halls – no need for the giant fancy one for just the two of them. A smaller one was just fine for usage. 

“I have the feeling that you were taking as much delight in this as Miss Moneypenny was,” the Consort replied with a skeptical look and a raised eyebrow.

“I wouldn’t take delight in you having to stand for hours like a statue,” James replied with a playful smirk. “Especially when you’re having to avoid being stuck by wayward pins.”

Quinn didn’t look amused at this and the expression on his face just made James more amused. 

“You’re used to such things,” the Consort snorted. “I’m not. I suppose Miss Moneypenny subjected you first to the torment?” 

While he had been a Prince of the Wilbraham Kingdom, he certainly hadn’t been treated well like one. Nice clothes for holidays were few – considering that for some of the holidays he hadn’t been allowed to participate. No one had been kind to him and being stabbed with pins had been a rather frequent occurrence on the occasions he did get fitted for new clothes. 

“Eve has been working for me long enough to where our sessions are short,” James replied, just a tad smug. “She’s rather fascinated by you however and having someone new to play dress up with. She’s harmless if you stay on her good side.”

“Speaking from experience?” the Consort asked as dinner was brought out and set on the table for them. “I have a feeling you wouldn’t say such things otherwise.”

The King didn’t rise to the bait on this one – some things were better left unsaid, for one’s preservation of dignity.

-

The Bond Kingdom wasn’t the only Kingdom preparing for the end of the year. 

Across the continent, the madman known as Silva was plotting. The majority of his spies/assassins had come back to him, though a few hadn’t. 

He supposed they’d gotten themselves caught (they were almost as mad as him after all and were prone to theatrics) which was a tad disappointing as there was one Kingdom in particular, he wanted news about.

Like most Kingdoms, he’d known about the marriage of the second Prince of Wilbraham to the Bond King and had hoped the assassin/spy he’d sent there would have survived the encounter to tell him about it.

With the end of the year approaching however, even Silva was smart enough to know that sending someone across the continent again would be foolish.

Winter wasn’t kind to travelers, unless one was in the desert or along the coast where it tended to be too warm for snow. 

Silva’s kingdom was like most – hunkering down to wait out the cold and then become more active again in the spring.

Though really, most of Silva’s people wouldn’t survive the winter. He didn’t seem to care that he was running his kingdom dry of population – most died, few were lucky to get over the borders to neighbors and seek refuge. 

He had grander designs anyway. He knew his kingdom was poor – though that was mostly his fault for keeping himself and his military forces and families well while the rest suffered – his kingdom wasn’t good for food growth due to the soil and water quality. Food was mostly imported from neighbors and then he reaped the costs back by charging the poorest of his people the most.

Silva’s people had long stopped rebelling and just resigned themselves to their fates – they were no match for his army of people just as corrupt and twisted as he was.

Silva had clawed his way from the bottom – he wasn’t actually royalty by blood; he’d just taken out those who’d been there before him – and now he did as he pleased. 

He would spend the winter staying in his palace and being just fine off his hoarded riches and food.

Once the spring rolled around, he would perhaps cause more trouble for the others again – in particular for that one Kingdom across the continent.

He’d seen the Wilbraham family on a couple occasions when he’d disguised himself and stolen into neighbors to personally see what was going on.

He’d seen the Wilbraham royals during a ceremony when all the family had been on the balcony, about a month before the second Prince had been betrothed to the King of the Bond Kingdom. 

The young man was rather pretty, and Silva did like pretty things.

It didn’t matter that the former Prince was married to King Bond – Silva liked keeping pretty people around and once the spring drew in, he would start planning in earnest how to get the former Wilbraham Prince into his collection.


	28. Chapter 27

The one thing that Quinn didn’t like, being royalty, was that it made it just a bit hard to get presents for someone when he couldn’t go into a market like a normal person. Instead he had to send a servant or two on his behalf with some money.

The end of the year meant Christmas and the King Consort was intent on gifting things to his little family. 

King James had already told him not to worry about it – they were royalty after all, and it wasn’t like they were in need of anything – but Quinn still wanted to do something.

The twins were easy – Rosie liked stuffed animals and little wooden soldiers would be perfect for Oliver who had played with his so much that they were rather worn out and broken. 

It was the King that was the harder one to find a present for. Quinn had considered a book – but the library was so massive that he wasn’t entirely sure what was already there. It wouldn’t have been a bad thing to get a duplicate book, he supposed, but he preferred to find something that the King didn’t have already.

There was also of course the idea to make James something, but Quinn wasn’t entirely sure what. 

What on earth did you get someone who had everything?

-

The Consort was not the only one worrying about presents for Christmas.

True, James had said they weren’t necessary – but he didn’t mean that entirely. The twins would get spoiled with presents of course and he did want to find something for his husband. 

King James had a feeling that the Consort had never had much of a fun Christmas in the Wilbraham Kingdom, and he wanted to give his husband a happy memory of the holiday.

The family would enjoy a bit of the day together – breakfast and opening presents – and then it would be business as usual. Even royalty didn’t get much of a day off on big holidays.

“I’d say get him a book, but what are the odds you have it in the library already?” Alec commented as James lamented to his best friend about finding something for Quinn. “I’d also say jewelry but that’s a tad cliché and he doesn’t seem the type for it. What does he like anyway? Do you even know?”

That was a good question, actually. 

“I know he likes working with Boothroyd,” the King replied, brow creased as he thought. “So, I know he likes to tinker and invent things. There’s his magic as well, but I think perhaps he would prefer if the present didn’t focus on that. He’s getting better, but still….probably best to not get a present revolving around it.”

“You’ll come up with something,” Alec consoled. “And really you should think about this yourself. It’ll be more special if you come up with the idea, right?” 

King James supposed that was an accurate assumption. It still made him want to bang his head against the nearest wall in frustration.

-

It had taken a fair bit of thinking, but Quinn had finally come up with an idea for James and had sent out a servant to look in the marketplace, as well as pick up things for the twins.

The King as well had thought of something for his husband and had also sent out a servant to the marketplace in the city to gather up gifts for his family.

It was no surprise then, that the servants ran into one another, as they had been sent out at about the same time. This ended up being rather beneficial as it meant they would have an easier time carrying all the presents back to the palace.

The servants were also in charge of wrapping up the presents – neither James nor Quinn were good at it and it also helped the element of surprise. 

Just because the servants had been successful in the endeavors, however, didn’t mean that both the King and the King Consort weren’t nervous about how the gifts for one another would be received.

-

The twins gaped at the tall tree that was standing proudly in the gathering room. It was a huge evergreen, decorated in colored baubles, shiny tinsel, sea-themed ornaments and had a giant star at the top.

Beneath the tree were presents and there certainly was a fair number of them. 

Most of them were for the children, as the adults didn’t need as much, but there was a small amount for James and Quinn (most notable being the poorly wrapped gifts from the kids).

The twins looked at the tree then back at their Papa and Dada, clearly eager to go run to the presents and find out what they had gotten for Christmas. 

A servant brought over some cushions for the little family to sit down on near the presents and the twins unhappily behaved for James and Quinn, though it was clear they didn’t want to sit down.

“Now, we’re going to open the presents and we’re going to look at them before we open the next one, ok?” the King explained to the overly rambunctious children. “Remember the Christmas story Miss Amelia read you about treating your presents well?” 

The twins nodded, faces slightly sullen. They clearly weren’t interested in hearing rules about opening presents. 

“Well then, how about you both go find your presents for your Dada? Since he’s the newest to the family, I think he should open something first.”

The children seemed to ponder this for a moment and James wondered if perhaps this idea was going to backfire. 

Rosie was the first to get up and go looking for her present – the children knew which presents were theirs and they just grabbed them all instead of particular ones, looking quite pleased with themselves as they carried the bunch of messily wrapped presents back to Papa and Dada.

James couldn’t help but chuckle at this and Quinn had a little smile on his face. It had been a good idea in theory, but the children had done good enough. 

The King helped the children set the presents down in a little pile and sort them between the ones for Papa and the ones for Dada.

“Now Rosie, how about you hand that one to your Dada?” James coaxed, gesturing to an over-taped flat present. The writing on it was nearly illegible but Rosie had made a very valiant attempt to write her name and Dada on the paper with some finger paints.

Rosie handed the present to Quinn with a wide-eyed expression on her face, clearly excited for Dada to open it up and see what the present was.

Quinn couldn’t help the warm feeling settling in his chest at this. 

It was so nice to feel wanted and loved by his little family.


	29. Chapter 28

King James Bond was just a little worried – and the twins were nearly beside themselves – when Quinn opened up Rosie’s Christmas present and started looking for all the world like he was going to cry. 

Rosie had finger-painted Quinn a picture of the four of them and with Amelia’s help had labeled who each person in the picture was. There Quinn was, a lovely messy stick person with the caption of Dada. 

Rosie of course thought that she had done something wrong and was building up to an outright wail of displeasure herself. 

Oliver was looking unsure about handing over his own present, probably worried that he would get a similar reaction from Quinn. 

“Quinn?” James asked after a moment, realizing that he would need to intervene fast before the twins started to be inconsolable. 

“I – I’m fine, I’m sorry,” the Consort replied, hastily wiping at his eyes and smiling. “I’m sorry, Rosie. I’m fine. I’m just very very happy to get this present. Sometimes people who are really happy will cry.” 

The children didn’t look convinced at this and Quinn set the picture aside so he could gather up the twins and cuddle them.

“Really, people get so happy sometimes that they cry!” he soothed, doing his best to hold the two toddlers at once – they were quite a handful at this point and were almost too big to be held at the same time. 

“Dada not sad?” Oliver asked, frowning up at the Consort. “No more cry?” 

“Well, I might still cry. But they are happy tears, I promise!” Quinn answered, cuddling the twins a bit more as they both settled down. “Now, there’s lots of presents that still need to be opened and I’m sure you both want to see what you got, right?” 

This was rather true – children did like presents – and the twins only needed a few more minutes of cuddling with Dada before they were ready to sit back down and continue with opening presents.

Oliver’s drawing also drew happy tears from Quinn – but this time the twins were prepared for it and it didn’t take Quinn long to recover. 

Gifts for the children were next on the list, Rosie taking her time to unwrap the paper while Oliver just tore into his, clearly not caring about preserving the wrappings. 

From her parents Rosie had been gifted some new stuffed animals to add to her growing collection. Quinn’s gift was a stuffed cat while James’s present was a traditional teddy bear. Oliver had been gifted wooden soldiers from Quinn and much to the Consort’s dismay, James had gifted the young boy with a toy drum.

Oliver was already loud and clearly some ground rules would need to be set with the drum. The Consort gave his husband a look, clearly foreseeing the headaches that would be forthcoming from the toddler’s new musical instrument. 

James also had paintings from the children – another family portrait from Rosie and Oliver had done a picture of a what looked to be a castle – James and Quinn assumed it was the capital home castle. 

Other presents included practical things like clothing items and the children also got new blankets for their beds. 

James’s present to Quinn was almost the last present. The twins were starting to lose interest and the adults knew they would need to wrap up shortly so that Amelia could handle the children for the rest of the day. 

Quinn’s breath caught slightly in his throat when he unwrapped the present from James. A large, thick book – leather-bound with blank pages – and several pencils and erasers of good quality wrapped in a smaller satchel within the larger present.

“You’re always inventing things, so I thought perhaps you might like a place to write down your ideas or draw out some blueprints,” the King explained. 

“My present pales in comparison,” the Consort replied softly, handing over the package to his husband. “This is a wonderful present, thank you.”

Wrapped carefully in the paper was an antique pocket watch. It had been cleaned and buffed to like-new shine and a new matching chain had been attached – with a clip so it could be tucked into a pocket securely. The face was pearl-white with fine black numbering and there were even tiny gems embedded. The watch was ticking softly, the time accurate.

“You won’t ever have to wind it up,” Quinn explained. “I uhm, put a bit of my magic in it. It came to me in bad shape and Boothroyd helped me fix it up. I mean, not that you need any help with time, I just couldn’t think of anything to get you and –”

It was amusing, and a bit cute how Quinn was starting to ramble. Ignoring the squeals of ‘ew’ from the twins, who were in that phase of finding such things icky, James leaned over and stopped Quinn’s ramblings with a kiss. He couldn’t help himself.

The resulting blush on Quinn’s face – which only furthered the twins giggling – was entirely worth it.


	30. Chapter 29

As the year rolled into the next, Quinn found himself quite ready for a normal routine to return – he was feeling a bit wrung out after all the end of year festivities and important meetings. He hoped that now that he’d had this one under his belt, the next end of year would go more smoothly.

Not that it had been a bad time – he’d learned quite a lot and certainly the festivities had been fun. He’d just never dealt so thoroughly with the end of year items and it left his head reeling just a little. 

The twins weren’t too thrilled that things were going back to normal, though Amelia soon had a handle on the youngsters, and everything fell back into a normal pace.

With the start of the year, there were a slew of meetings to go through for the royals to plan out the year – both in terms of palace management and how they wanted to rule for the year over their people. 

They had to make sure plans were in place for anything – military engagements, general kingdom upkeep, natural disasters – just to name a few. Being by the sea, there were sometimes great storms that would come in, though James had told him that there was something about being on the west coast of the continent that kept the storms from being as bad or as frequent as those on the east coast.

Truthfully, the storms were once in a blue moon events. It had been centuries since the last devastating one on the west coast and more than likely wouldn’t happen again in the lifetimes of the Bond family.

This information however did start a new seed of interest growing inside of the Consort. Certainly, the chances of a great storm were small but perhaps there was still something that could be done. If not for them, then perhaps for other natural disasters.

His free time, when he wasn’t spending it with his little family unit, the Consort filled with books on the subjects of weather and other natural disasters. 

It was a nice new project for him to undertake and perhaps it would mean further growth and development for the Bond Kingdom. 

-  


“Tomorrow is the tour of the navy ships,” James commented over dinner. “At least, the ones who are in dock and not on patrol missions at sea. It’s one of the few times royals leave the palace. It involves speaking with the Seamaster and seeing the condition of the ships. Would you like to join me? I know you’ve been wrapped up in that new interest of yours regarding better preparation for natural disasters.”

“Is it safe?” Quinn asked, worry causing a slight furrow to his brow.  


“As safe as can be, I’ve been doing it for years,” James replied. “We’ll have guards and of course the military are trained as well. You can see the port from the palace, and we’d be traveling via carriage there. I thought I would extend the invitation to join me to you. I do hate that for the most part royals have to stay in their palaces.” 

“Well, it would be nice to get stretch my legs a bit, I suppose….and I do admit curiosity in seeing the ships of the navy. There are books about how great the Bond Kingdom navy is – I read a few when I was still a trapped Prince,” the Consort admitted. “I trust you and those who guard us.”

“Well then, that’s tomorrow sorted. I usually go tour after lunch, when the morning visitations and hearings are done, and I’ve fortified myself for lots of exercise. I’m hoping that when the children are older, they’ll be able to go too. It’s important for them to understand everything, being the Heirs.” 

Traditionally it would be Oliver who would rule next, though it certainly wouldn’t be something completely discounted for Rosalind – there were no laws that the next ruler in line couldn’t be female – it would just depend on future marriage alliances and what it would mean for where the twins would end up residing with their new spouses. 

“I’m sure they would like it, though I agree that perhaps waiting until they are a little older,” Quinn agreed. He couldn’t imagine trying to wrangle excited toddlers whilst he and James conducted official business. 

The younger man was looking forward to seeing the Bond Kingdom naval ships up close. He’d seen them from a distance and was looking forward to getting a proper frame of reference for how big they really were – although the ships were of varying sizes for their different tasks during naval missions.

“I wish royals could go out sailing, even if it’s just a short trip through the bay and back. But even then, the risk is too great.”

Quinn could understand that although he did wonder what it would be like out on the water. Reading about it, the act of sailing did seem like it could be enjoyable. But on the other hand, he did understand that a royal person couldn’t partake in such things. 

Truthfully, all of this had been, at some point, something of a vain hope for the young man. As he’d grown up in the Wilbraham Kingdom, he could only escape and imagine things through books. 

He’d always thought he’d end up just like back then – kept locked away from the world in iron and in some tower – or maybe a basement cell. Quinn had grown up thinking he was horribly dangerous and that he didn’t deserve to be treated well.

The Consort was quite happy that everything he’d been made to think had been turned on its head as he’d settled into life as a royal of the Bond family. 

“Knowing you, you’ll get distracted by how the things are put together,” James commented with a touch of fond amusement in his voice. “Though considering what you and Boothroyd have done together, that might not be a bad thing.”

Quinn and the inventor were constantly coming up with improvements to existing structures and machines as well as creating brand new things. The King wasn’t complaining as these things benefitted everyone but the mental picture of the Consort pouring over the fittings of a ship with a magnifying glass to see how it all went together was rather entertaining. 

“Well, you know I like to see how things work,” Quinn huffed. “And besides, it wouldn’t be good for the navy ships to just come apart during an outing now would it?” 

“Certainly not. I expect you’ll come up with quite a number of improvements,” the King replied, sipping at his wine. “The ships may be due for such things, honestly. I can’t remember the last time any ship got an upgrade or improvement remodel.” 

Quinn hummed thoughtfully as he picked back up with eating dinner, mind already spinning with thoughts about seeing the ships the next day. He wondered if they would be just as grand close up as they were in the books he’d grown up reading.

He certainly hoped so.


	31. Chapter 30

Quinn walked beside James, the King insistent that the Consort was an equal and didn’t have to walk a certain number of paces behind him. They were joined by Alec and a small contingent of guards as they walked along the docks and moorings of the Royal Navy.

Joining them was the Seamaster – a middle-aged man who was not only the top of the chain when it came to the Navy, but he was also a water magic user. It wasn’t a requirement for the position, but it did help.

Seamaster Jacob Pritchard was a wise man, slightly rotund and with salt and pepper hair and a grand beard. He knew the sea more than anyone and had climbed through the ranks of the Navy. He’d gained the Seamaster position upon his retirement from active duty and was perhaps the best Seamaster to grace the Bond Kingdom in quite some time.

The man knew ships – knew each type and had a keen eye to spot any sort of defect. He took great pride in leading the Navy men – providing guidance and commanding respect as he made sure the Navy had everything it needed to be the best. 

“Good morning, Your Majesties,” the man boomed – he was quite jovial and loud – offering the two a bow. “It is a fine morning for inspection. All ships are in port except for the Grand Mary, the Augusta and the Amaranthe. They are currently out on patrol missions.”

“Good morning, Seamaster,” King James replied. “I’m looking forward to the tour this year. The Consort is as well. He’s never seen a ship before, and I must warn you he will be fascinated with their construction and may get a bit distracted. You may have heard how he and Boothroyd have been improving things to assist the Kingdom.” 

“Aye, I have, Your Majesty,” Pritchard laughed. “But it is always good to have a keen eye on the ships. If there’s anything to make the Navy better, you know I’m all for it. They are good ships but I’m sure improvements could be made to make them better.” 

Quinn had blushed slightly at James’s words about him and he kept quiet as his husband and the Seamaster began to discuss what was on the planned tour. 

The Consort was already rather impressed with the ships – they seemed sturdy and well-built and he was impressed with how well the wood looked to be holding up, despite the roughness of the salty sea. 

He wondered what the wood was treated with that kept it so nice – perhaps he would get a chance to learn that on the tour. 

The sails were rolled up and tied on the ships – no need to have them unfurled whilst the ships were docked – and the Navy sailors were in their best, standing at attention as the Royals went past. 

Everyone had clearly pulled out the stops – even putting out decorations in the royal colors and making sure that everything had been thoroughly cleaned. 

They stopped first at the dry docks to see ships that were currently being stored for repair – there weren’t too many due to the Seamaster keeping up on ship management but there were a couple they could take a look at.

“The Sea Bear here, this is one of the oldest ships still in the service,” the Seamaster said, gesturing to the first ship. “Run many a mission and used for training. Dry docked to fit it with new mast and sails and reapply the sealant to the wood before she goes back out. She’ll probably be retired in a year or two and her parts will be used for other things.” 

The next ship wasn’t as impressive but still nice to look at.

“This is Falcon, one of our tugboats,” Pritchard explained. “Helps bring in the bigger ships to the docks so they can moor safely. This one’s in good shape, just due for a sealant application.” 

“So, the larger ships can’t go to dock on their own?” Quinn asked, curious.

“Too big to maneuver without assistance,” Pritchard replied. “The water is also shallower as you get closer to the docks which also affects maneuverability. The tugboats are small and quick enough that they are set up in pairs to guide the larger ships back in.” 

Quinn hummed thoughtfully at this. James recognized the noise as one Quinn made when he was processing information, not when he was trying to come up with something new. It would be hard to improve the way the boats came in – using the smaller boats was the best way to do it and had been standard for years. Quinn was just taking it all in and filing it away in his head. 

“I appreciate your diligence to keeping the Navy ships in working condition,” King James complemented. “While we have not seen battle, it is good to know that the Navy is in good hands, keeping us in condition to be ready at a moments notice.” 

The Seamaster just about puffed up in pride at the complements from the King. He took his duties seriously and worked hard to bring the Navy up to it’s current high standards. He could only hope he was inspiring the men to carry on and to inspire future Seamasters to take as much pride in their work as he did.

Both ships being worked on were signs of Pritchard’s dedication to his job – only one needed major repair and that was due to age instead of neglect or damage. 

“Sea Bear will take a week turnaround and Falcon will be out in two to three days,” Pritchard explained as they moved through the dry docks to head back to the rest of the moored ships. “The sealant needs at least a day to set and of course replacing a mast and sails is time consuming.” 

“What is done with the old mast and sail?” Quinn spoke up, curious. “Are they repurposed as well?” 

“Old sailcloth is good for making sacks for storing grains or other things and the mast wood will be cut down and used for dock repairs as it’s been nicely weathered and exposed to the seawater already,” the Seamaster responded. “Sailcloth is also cut up and sewn into decorative banners and cloth drapery. Everything has a purpose, even after the ships are no longer in service.” 

This drew another thoughtful hum from the Consort. James was glad that Quinn was taking all of this in so well and was looking forward to seeing if his curiosity would get the better of him once they were touring the moored ships themselves.

-

It went without saying that upon boarding one of the ships, Quinn was immediately lost to curiosity – much to the amusement of his husband and the Seamaster. 

The young man examined the wood that made up the sides of the ship, not asking any questions, just looking and working out for himself how everything fit together.

He was rather surprised at the lack of fasteners – some of the wood seemed cut in particular ways to fit together extra tight without needing nails or screws. The wood was stained dark brown, almost a little shiny from the sealant that kept the wood from swelling with seawater and sinking the ship.

“Special technique we learned from a country across the sea,” Seamaster Pritchard spoke up as he noticed Quinn studying how the wood fit together. “Saves on how often the metal screws and nails get rusted out from the sea. They use this technique over there for buildings, ships, other furniture. It’s quite something. Not all the ships are built this way, but it certainly helps on turnaround time in dry dock for those that are.” 

“I suppose it would take up too much time to change over the entire fleet,” the King Consort pondered aloud, a thoughtful look on his face. “Though the architecture is quite something. Very advanced technique yet simple at the same time.”

“Amazingly the sealings in the joints are tight enough that we don’t have to use as much sealant,” Pritchard continued. “The spacing between almost seals itself compared to the usual style of ship building. Not that sealant is hard to come by, but it’s nice to have less work to do sometimes to keep the ships sailing.”

The Royal couple continued to tour the ship, Quinn finding the history of it all rather fascinating. The young man was like a sponge and soaked up new information. He clearly enjoyed learning and that pleased James to no end. 

It was nice to have a partner who wanted to educate themselves – certainly made conversation more interesting and it was helpful when they had all their important meetings, as Quinn could use newfound knowledge to help the Kingdom. 

The Royals finished the tour around mid-day, perfect timing to return to the palace for lunch. King James was certain that Quinn would be taking all that he’d learned about the ships to Boothroyd.

The King wasn’t complaining – anything to benefit the Kingdom was a good idea.


	32. Chapter 31

The King Consort received correspondence, just like his husband did. Usually this was letters from neighbors or from nobles in the Bond Kingdom doing friendly exchanges or asking about trades and other such functions. Sometimes they were reports from the nobles of minor incidents in their counties that they governed on behalf of the Royal Family.

It was therefore puzzling to see a letter from his former home Kingdom. Since his marriage and arrival to the Bond Kingdom, Quinn had not received anything from his family – though he thought little of them in that regard now. 

The contents of the letter however, had him wanting to shake his head in disbelief. 

It seemed that it was time for a suitable lady to be found for his younger brother and the letter was no less than a demand for his assistance in the matter!

Quinn completely considered himself a member of the Bond family now – which he was by marriage – and although his family was the Wilbraham family, he certainly didn’t think much of them.

It turned out that there was a lack of suitable ladies of proper station who would be coming of marrying age around the same time as the youngest Wilbraham Prince. The younger wouldn’t be marrying age for another year, but apparently their parents didn’t want to waste any time in having their last child married off. 

His parents – loathe he was to think of them that way – were encouraging him to be a good son – ha! – and assist them in finding his younger brother a wife! 

Apparently due to the shortage of women on the continent, they were hopeful (desperate) enough to seek someone from another land entirely.

Whilst the Bond Royal Navy certainly did excursions, Quinn wasn’t too sure that they had done voyage long enough to reach other lands across the ocean. 

Sea merchants generally just traveled around the coasts of the continent – it was a very rare occasion to get someone from across the sea. 

Of course, the fisherman certainly didn’t travel that far for fish. 

The King Consort was highly tempted to just burn the letter in the nearest candle or fireplace and forget the matter entirely. 

It would however be a rude courtesy to do so – and whilst he wasn’t really wanting to help his parents out, he didn’t really want to bring any sort of negativity against the Bond family. 

He supposed he would have to ask James about this particular odd inquiry. 

-

King James had certainly gotten some strange requests in his time as King, but this was something quite unexpected and different.

“I suppose they will not just accept a letter stating that we would love to be of assistance but cannot?” he commented to his husband after reading the message. “The nearest continent is a three month journey if all is good on the open waters. Barring that, I am, as most are here, unfamiliar with anyone from another continent. We don’t know if they have governance as we do, much less royalty. There is too much unknown.” 

“I was a disappointment nearly my entire life, so I suppose one more won’t really change anything,” Quinn replied dryly. “They’ll just think me more useless than they already did. I’m surprised they thought so far outside the box, but they’ll just have to get used to disappointment. It wouldn’t be wise to put so much risk into something as silly as this. Not until ocean travel is safer and more certain, at least.” 

“As much as keeping up good relations with neighbors is important, in this instance I won’t feel bad if they find it enough reason for the relationship to sour a bit,” the King responded with a slight shrug. 

Quinn honestly wanted to write them back with a simple message declining their request, but knowing how important it was to keep up appearances, he resigned himself to writing something longwinded that eventually got to the point that no, they couldn’t help find the younger Wilbraham Prince a wife.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the honest truth - I have no idea what I'm doing with this story at this point. The well of ideas has frankly gone dry and life being what it is, I'm not sure when it will fill up again. I don't know where to go from here nor how to really kick things off with the villain of the story - Silva. This chapter is the best I can do currently, even if it's short and not that good. I just wanted to get something out there that would act as a bridge to move things along.   
> I just thank anyone who's kept up with this story for being so patient. I'm definitely not updating as frequent as I used to and I feel bad about it.   
> I'm hoping something will kick this thing back to more life, eventually...


	33. Chapter 32

Quinn’s usage of his magic continued to be a rarity outside of his practicing in the workshop with Boothroyd. He never made anything larger than something the size of a small bird and he definitely wasn’t bringing statues to life. 

The King Consort continued to nearly continually wear a simple iron ring to keep his magic in check and while it certainly wasn’t the norm, he kept it on, even in sleep. 

There was still the fear inside that he would somehow hurt his husband, or someone else he held dear. 

The young man especially didn’t want to end up in a panic situation, where he was too scared and on edge to control his own abilities. While it had protected him – and in turn others – with the knight statues and the assassin – the fact that he hadn’t been able to control them from the beginning continued to be a dark cloud in his mind. 

Sometimes Quinn would idly wonder what the limits of his abilities were – and if he would ever be brave enough to find out for himself. 

He hoped that if that was ever the case, that it would be in a situation that didn’t involve some traumatic, horrible event. He wanted to be able to find out under his own authority, his own decision making. 

Truthfully, he was also fine with never finding out just what he would be able to do if pushed to the limits. 

The King Consort hoped for continued years of peace, where no one would have to worry about doing anything violent to another. He’d read plenty of stories about wars between nations and while it would eventually be something inevitable – especially with Silva still stirring up trouble now and then – he hoped that it would never affect his little family unit.

-

To his expectations, King Consort Quinn did in fact receive a rather unhappy sounding reply from his parents in regard to him not helping find his younger brother a wife. 

They of course wanted only a high status noblewoman and were rather aghast that they would have to look at a lesser status noblewoman. There were no shortages of those, but they were still very adamant at reminding Quinn about how much a disappointment he was, even though he was no longer under their control.

“You would think they would give up trying to make my life miserable,” he commented to his husband with a slightly-exasperated sigh. “It was a rather far-fetched thing they wanted help with. I just hope that whoever the poor girl is who ends up with my little brother doesn’t bear the brunt of their unhappiness. They were at least hoping for a Princess, but they’ll have to settle for less, though through marriage she’d obtain that status…. but still, not a Princess of blood. It’s not like he’s the direct heir – my elder brother has a son after all.” 

“I assume the reason for keeping appearances is the reason they wanted to find someone high-ranking for you?” James asked, looking up from his own pile of correspondences. The two were in the King’s study, James at his desk and Quinn on the couch. 

“For the most part, yes. They were intent on finding a male because heaven forbid I sire a child,” Quinn answered with a roll of his eyes. “And you were the only eligible one aside from Lord Silva and he was certainly not even a consideration.” 

“Did they not even consider that a royal can use a surrogate as a means of producing a child…?” James asked with a raised eyebrow. “Or was that another forbidden means in their mind?” 

“Probably forbidden,” Quinn hummed thoughtfully. “Unless as a last resort and of course with a surrogate of good reputation and standing.” 

The Wilbraham family was rather strange (and rather archaic) in the opinion of King Bond and the more he learned about them, the better he felt about taking Quinn as his husband. 

“It would be rather nice if this was the last correspondence from them – I assume I was a rather last resort for this. It was rather nice not hearing from them until this point.” 

“It is polite decorum to read all correspondences and answer them if needed, but perhaps I can look the other way if you throw anything from them promptly into the nearest fire,” James quipped with a small grin at his husband. 

The resulting laugh was a rather lovely sound and it was one that James took great delight in eliciting. Quinn continued to move leaps and bounds into new comfort zones and yet still laugher was a sweet rarity. 

While their marriage – like all marriages – was certain to have some more bumps in the road as the years went by, James had made it a sort of personal mission to make sure that if he had to do something as awful as making his husband cry, then it would be because he’d made Quinn overwhelmingly happy.


	34. Chapter 33

Maps were spread across the large table, some in better condition than others. The maps were of the continent and some were more updated that the rest, though things weren’t generally kept all that well, so it was hard to say which was the most accurate. 

A blade thunked down in the middle of one of the maps, thrown in a small point of frustration by its owner. 

“So the only way is through No Man’s Land,” Silva growled, rather bothered by this turn of events. 

“If we don’t want to bring attention to ourselves, then yes,” one of his henchmen replied. “Otherwise the only route is straight through the lands between us and the Bond Kingdom. As you know borders are heavily guarded between the countries but because of the nature of No Man’s Land, the borders between it and the countries aren’t heavily guarded…since no one generally uses No Man’s Land for travel.”

“The only problem is of course the timing…we’d want to avoid traveling through No Man’s Land during winter…. that leaves us with a small time frame to do a round trip,” another henchman spoke up. “There is of course the matter as well of getting into the Bond Kingdom and obtaining the King Consort. The capital city isn’t close to the border.” 

“And we don’t know if the spy sent before was successful or not in infiltration, considering he never returned,” the first henchman grumbled. “It’s hard to say if he was killed before even reaching his destination or if something else happened to prevent his return.” 

They were all pretty certain the spy had died at this point, all things considering. 

“Although it pains me to be patient, I suppose I shall have to be,” Silva sighed. “This must go flawlessly of course. It shall be like taking treasure from the hoard of a slumbering dragon. It must be done quickly and without anything to wake the beast. It would be lovely to conquer the dragon as well but alas, such grander schemes would require more than what’s available…”

“Will you be going on the hunt, Sire?” the first henchman asked.

“Alas no,” the madman replied with a tinge of annoyance in his voice. “We have no one who knows cloaking magic and I’m afraid there are those who know what I look like.”

“It would also be suspicious for the entirety of our forces, including yourself to suddenly leave the country. I’m sure our neighbors especially have spies,” a third henchman chimed in. “Keeping a low profile for this is important.” 

“We have to start preparations now if the task force is to leave ready on time,” Silva murmured, looking at the maps. “And it is bothersome that we are not sure of good paths through No Man’s Land. I will have to have words with whoever is in charge of keeping records…”

No one wisely mentioned that there was in fact, no one in charge of record keeping. They just pitied whoever the unfortunate soul ended up being that Silva decided was the culprit.

-

Across the continent, none-the-wiser on what was occurring in enemy lands, King Consort Quinn Bond was laying in the gardens, beneath the shade of a tree, eyes closed as he took a moment of relaxation. The twins were playing nearby with Amelia and James was seated next to him – the King doing a bit of reading whilst his husband used his legs as a pillow. 

The royal family was enjoying a moment of brief respite from the craziness of being rulers and getting a bit of fresh air with the children.

Amelia was instructing the children on how to play a simple game of kicking around a ball – good for coordination practice and fun at the same time. 

“It will only be a matter of time before that ball is kicked in our direction,” James murmured as he turned a page in his book. “And then we’ll be roped into playing kickball as well.”

“I never played before,” came the drowsy reply from Quinn. “And besides, anything resembling exercise is your job.” 

“Is that so?” the King replied, a touch of amusement in his voice. 

“I’m not one for exercise,” Quinn snorted. “Bit too much work. I’m not as fit as you are.” 

“But if the children want me to join in, then that means I’ll have to get up,” James chuckled. “And leave you bereft of your pillow.” 

“Oh however shall I manage?” Quinn deadpanned. “Perhaps then I will steal your book while you are playing and see if it is any good.”

It was a military history book and was a rather dry one, for that matter, so James rather suspected that it would put Quinn to sleep.

“If you’re seeking to be able to fall asleep quicker than feel free,” the King chuckled. “It’s not the most exciting read.” 

“It must be of interest to you, considering that you aren’t falling asleep while reading it,” the Consort replied, cracking open an eye to look up at his husband. “Or do you have some magic ability to not have dull books put you to sleep?” 

“I would find it dull if it was something other than military history,” James admitted. “Even if it would be a dull read to someone else.” 

“A shame it won’t make a good pillow for when you’re forced away by the children to chase a ball around.” 

The King chuckled again and the two settled back into a quiet moment, though it was soon interrupted as expected – the ball rolling their way as the children shriek-giggled out something resembling a warning.

The ball rolled into one of James’s feet and the King placed his book down to the side, nudging his husband to move so that he could stand up. 

“The children have summoned me,” James murmured as he made sure Quinn was settled comfortably as he moved away with the ball, the kids giving happy yells that their Dada was coming to play the kickball game with them. 

Quinn lay in the soft grass beneath the tree, eyes closed. A gentle breeze blew, and he listened to the children laughing and yelling as they played with James and Amelia, clearly delighting in getting some precious family time in. 

It was a rare moment, with how busy he and James were these days and hearing the children so happy certainly made it all worthwhile.


End file.
